MEDITATIONS. 



PIOUS 

MEDITATIONS, 

DESIGNED 

TO EXCITE MANKIND TO MAKE SUCH AN 
IMPROVEMENT OF TIME, 

AS WILL TEND TO 

PREPARE THEM for a BLESSED IMMORTALITY 



PAR7LT ORIGINAL \sf PARTLT SELECTED, 



REV, W. KIRKPATRICK, 

Minister of the Scotch Kirky Liverpool* 




Falfely luxurious, will not Man awake ; x 
And, fpringing from the bed of floth, enjoy 
The cool, the fragrant, and the filent hour, 
To Meditation due and facred fong ? m 

So could I touch thefe Themes, as might obtain 
Thine Ear, nor leave thy Heart quite difengag'd, 

The good deed would delight me, 

° Young. 



LIVERPOOL 



PRINTED FOR THE AUTHOR, AND SOLD BY W. JONES, 
56 9 CASTLE-STREET ; 

Guthrie & Tait and Ogle & Aikman, Edinburgh ;-W, 

Button & Son and R. Ogle, London ; — J. & A. 

Duncan and M. Ogle, Glaigow ; — and 

W. Chalmers, Dumfries. 

1805. 









W. Jones, Printer. 



PREFACE. 

Having frequently, for several years past, 
perused with much pleasure, a volume in the 
form of Meditations, consisting of eighty small 
pages, composed above a century ago, entitled, 
" Divine Breathings, or a pious soul thirsting 
after Christ ;" |pd never having met with it in 
any other hand, I concluded it was scarce, and 
at length resolved' to re-publish it for the benefit 
of others. But, on a more minute inspection, I 
judged many of the Numbers not so lively and 
instructive as to merit re-publication, and have, 
therefore, omitted such numbers entirely: Be- 
sides many alterations of obsolete and sometimes 
inaccurate language, I have made lar^e additions 
to those which I have retained. These additions 
which are chiefly devotional, are partly my own, 
and partly selected. In place of those that are 
omitted, I have substituted : a few of my own. 
And to render this work more complete, as a 
Mtmual of Practical and Devotional Meditations, 
I have added some appropriate, and what I con- 
ceive to be superior extracts, or selections, both 
from late and from living eminent divines, 

A3 A few 



▼i PRE FACI. 

A few or t ie " irs s - il jc ined to some of the 
following Meditations are from the Psalm 

of the Church of Scotland, and the rest 

principally from the pen of the celebrated Dr. 
Watts. These verses are intended to convey, in 

a small compass, the substance of the Meditation 
to which they are added : and bv poetic, elevated 
language, to fix it more indelibly on the memory 
of the reader. 

To those persons who are inclined to read 
divine truths, but who cannot spare time from 
business for reading long, elaborate discourses. 
the following exercises should, and I hope will 
be peculiarly acceptable. There arc ■ oca- 

tions that do not admit of a little respite.. During 
such an interval, one of these Meditations may 
easily be read, and thus, in the space of rive or 
six minutes, without neglecting their necessary 
labour or business, the devout may bring to t 
recollection some of the truths that belong: to 
their present and everlasting peace. 

On the first day of the week, more especially 
these Meditations may be useful to Christians. 
By reading one, or two, or more of them on the 
morning of the Christian Sabbath, such, for in- 
stance, as Worthy is the Lamb, Love to Christy 
Heavenly Desires ; by adapting the Spirit of the 
devotional parts in the course of reading, and by 
turning the admonitory, or preceptive parts, into 
a fervent prayer likewise, the reader's soul may- 
be better prepared for worshipping acceptably 

and 



PREFACE. vii 



and comfortably in public throughout that day, 
and also for hearing the word of life with more 
immediate profit, and with more permanent 
effect. If, in the evening of that sacred day, 
the same practice is observed : or if some of 
these Meditations, which are similar to the dis- 
courses that have been heard in public, are read 
in the fore-mentioned, attentive, devotional 
manner — by these means faith may be strength- 
ened, repentance quickened, love inflamed, 
doubts removed, hope confirmed, and virtue 
immoveably established. 

As they are sincerely intended, so I hope they 
will be found calculated for improvement and 
comfort under trying, afflictive dispensations. 

Perhaps, also, these Meditations may be 
useful to some who statedly preach the Gospel ; 
not so much on account of their matter and ar- 
rangement, as on account of their variet}-, — ■ 
Ministers often lose time in seeking, before they 
can fix on a subject for their next public dis- 
course. To obviate this difficulty, at times, the 
variety of subjects in this volume may contribute. 

Both in my own additions, and in the selec- 
tions which I have given, I have endeavoured 
to exhibit the Gospel according to the pattern 
which its Divine Author has given us ; to exhi- 
bit its doctrines, its precepts, and its sanctions ; 
to inculcate both knowledge and practice, both 
faith and holiness ; to rouse and persuade by 

the 



Tfn PREFACE. 



the terrors of the Lord ; to allure and comfort 
by his precious, unchangeable promises. 

As to the manner or style, I have to the 
utmost of my power, in what is my own in these 
exercises, imitated and adapted the simplicity 
of the Gospel. Those, therefore, who expect 
studied, elegant language will be disappointed. 
But, in this respect they will be gratified, and 
obtain some compensation in the selections 
which I have given from the elegant pen of a 
Saurin, a Home, a Watts, a Coney, a Hunter, 
a Logan, a Charters, a Brown, Sec. 

Whatever may be the fate of this little 
volume, I can confidently say, that it has been 
composed, selected, and arranged, from the 
purest motives, from the most ardent desires to. 
awaken the slumbering professor,, to destroy 

carnal security , to excite the formalist and the 

%i - 

hypocrite to sincerity and zeal,, to elevate and 
console the enlightened, renewed mind in retire- 
ment, and to fortify it against anxieties and fears 
in life and in death. That it may be crowned 
with these happy effects, through the power of 
the Holy Ghost, may the Father of mercies 
grant, for the sake of his Son,, our Redeemer 
and our Advocate. 

W. KIRKPJTRICK. 

Liverpool* July 1805. 

CONTENTS, 



CONTENTS. 



Page. 
The Deity :::::: 9 
The Deity Propitious : 1 1 
Redemption an Eternal 

Purpofe ::::::: 13 
Neceflity of a Mediator 15 
The Atonement : : : : 17 
Victory over Sin and 

Death :::::::: 20 
Strong Confolation : : 21 
The Sanctifier : : : ; : 23 
Majefly of Revelation : 25 
Advantages of Revelation 2 7 
Thankigiving for Reve- 
lation :::::;:: 29 
The Myfteries of Reve- 
lation Credible : : : 31 
The Preemption of In- 
fidelity ::::::: 33 
Imperfection of Man's 

Knowledge : : : : : 35 
Faith: ::;::::; : 37 
Author of Renovation : 40 
Regeneration : : : : : 42 
Practical Religion : : ; 45 
Meditation and Prayer 47 
Contemplation : : : : : 49 
Nature of the Soul : : 52 
Defires of the Soul : : : 53 
A Chriftian's End : : : 55 
A Rich Worldling ; :' 57 



Page, 
A Chriftian's Choice ; 58 
The Good and Bad in 

this Life : : : : 59 
Spiritual Joy & Sorrow 60 
The SouPs Happinefs : 62 
Spiritual Defires : : 64 
Deceitful Riches : : €£ 
Mifery of a Wicked 

Man : ; : : : 67 
Book of Confcience : 68 
Power of Confcience : 70 
A Good Confcience 1 73 
Thankfulnefs for Free- 
dom of Confcience : 75 
A Good Name : : 76 
Good Company : : 78 
Evil Company : : : 8£ 
Prudent Couniel : : 85 
The Prudent Choice : 88 
Death : : : : : 91 
State of a Man at Death 93 
Small Space between 

Life and Death : : 94 
Thoughtlefs Mortals : 96 
Evangelical and Carnal 

Maxims : : : : 98 
Religion a Prefent Sup- 
port : : : : : 100 
Dangerous Curiofity : 102 
The World's Ignorance J 04 
The 



r 



CONTENTS. 



The Worth of a Chrif- 


The Condition of Man- 


tian : ; : : : 105 


kind : : : : : 156 


Profperity notEnviable 107 


Men Frail but Immortal 1 59 


A Chriftian's Heaven 


l The State of Things 


and Hell : : : 109 


around us : : : 163 


The Ufe of Richer : IIO 


Human Enjoyments : 165 


The Worldling's God 112 


The Renewed Tafte : 167 


Infiifficiency of the 


Heavenly Defires : 170 


World : : r : 113 


Irrefolute Faith : : 175 


The Vanity of the 


The Heroifm of Faith 177 


World : : : : 117 


The Life of Faith : 179 


TheChriftianTraveller 117 


The Trumph of Faith 181 


The World Hates the 


The Chriftian's prefent 


Saints : : : : 118 


Treafure : : : 183 


Almfgiving of Advan- 


The Day of Grace : 185 


tage : : : : : 120 


Warning Voices : 187 


The World's Worth- 


The Beft Choice : 190 


lefsnefs : : . : 122 


Awakening Reflections 192 


A Chriftian's Circum- 


Solacing Reflections 194 


fpe&ion : : : 123 


Real Pleafure : : : 196 


LiveMindful of Eternity 125 


The Chriftian's AH : 198 


The Happy Life of 


The Knowledge of 


the Righteous : 126 


Chrift : : : : 200 


The Worldling's Mean 


Love to Chrift : : 203 


Choice : : : : 129 


Chrift Excellent and 


As We Live fo WeDie 1 3 1 


Glorious- r : : 205 


Profperity Dangerous 133 


Worthy is the Lamb 207 


The Worldling'sFolly 136 


Duty rightlyPerformed 212 


No Happineis without 


Godly Sorrow : : 214 


Holinefs : : : 158 


Remaining Sin : : 216 


The Rebel in Danger 140 


Temptations : ; : 21 s 


Benefit of Repentance 143 


Support in Diftrefs : 222 


The Folly of Delay 145 


Joy in Trouble : : 224 


Delays Increafe our 


Hope of Freedom from 


Guilt : ; : : 147 


Evil : : r : r <?26 


Delays Create Greater 


HopeofPofrtiveFelicity228 


Difficulties : : : 150 


Comfortto theMourner 232 


Friendly Monitors : 152 


Refignation r : : 237 



Gratitude 



CONTENTS. 


Xi 


Gratitude & Confidence 24 1 


Important Solutions : 


287 


Decreasing Grace : 


244 


The Love of God : 


289 


Kypocrify : : : 


246 


The Bell Life : : 


292 


Security Dangerous : 


248 


The Spiritual Temple 


294 


The Evil of Sin : : 


250 


Vital Duties : : : 


297 


The Beloved Sin : 


252 j 


An Evil Heart : : 


299- 


General Trial :' : 


254 


Warfare : : : : 


30 1 


Particular Trial : : 


256 


Loffes Compenfated : 


303 


The Heavenly Tra- 




Variety of Condition 


805 


veller : : : : 


258 


Benefit of Adverfity 


307 


Contentment : : : 


261 


Transforming Inter- 




Contentment the beft 




courfe : : : : 


309 


Riches ; : : : 


2€3 


Charity better than 




Proportional Rewards 


267 


Wealth : : : 


312 


Choice Privileges : 


269 


The Happy Refem- 




The Real Good : : 


273 


blance : : : : 


314 


Grateful Returns 


276 


Affurance : : : : 


317 


Earnefls : : : : 


277 


Triumph over Death 


3Q& 


Heaven by Companion 280 


The New Jerufalem 


: 32& 


Viciffitudes : : : 


282 


Fulnefs of Joy : : 


300 


Alarming Truths : 


285 







fiov. 



FIOUS MEJDFF.dTIOJYS, 



i. 

THE DEITY. 

IN the volumes of nature and revelation 
God is prefented to me in the character of 
infinite perfection ; as a being of tranfcen- 
dent and incomprehenfible majefty, of ab- 
folute rectitude and perfection of nature, of 
fpotlefs purity, of ftrict, inflexible juftice and 
fathomlefs wifdom;of boundlefs,uncontrouI- 
able power, of unlimited unchangeable 
goodnefs, worthy to be praifed^ feared, lov- 
ed, and ferved by all his intelligent crea- 
tures. His prefence pervades every part -of 
fpace. His omnifcience thoroughly com- 
prehends all fubjects that are capable of 
being known, and is completely acquainted 
with whatever does or can exift. His will 
B is 



10 THE DEITY. 

is invariably dire&ed to the greateft poffible 
good of the whole fyftem of beings fufcep- 
tible of happinefs. His power is employed 
in executing the purpofes of confummate 
wifdom and goodnefs, and in fubftantiating 
the fair and glorious conceptions of infinite 
mind. By the numberlefs effefts of intelli- 
gence and power which we clearly fee, not 
one of which could be the caufe of its own 
exiftence, we are necefiarily led to acknow- 
ledge and adore him, as the firft and univerfal 
caufe, the maker of heaven and earth, and 
of all things vifible and invifible ; the for- 
mer of all material fubftances, and the father 
of all fpirits. The univerfe exhibits his at- 
tributes impreffed on all its parts— impreffed 
no lefs on the fmalleft particle of matter, 
than on its moft complex and flupendous 
combinations j exerted no lefs confpicuoufly 
in the ftrufture of the meaneft infect, than 
in the capacious foul of the feraph that (lands 
before his throne. All thy works, O God, 
praife thee. The bleffed inhabitants of 
heaven, who have been witneffes to the 
wonders of thy creating might, adore and 
magnify thee. Teach me, O thou Great 

Supreme 



THE DEITY. 11 



Supreme ! thou felf-exiftent God ! thou 
centre of all perfection! teach me, ex- 
cite me, aid me, with profound devotion 
continually to celebrate thy praifes, for the 
greatnefs of thy majefly and wifdom dif- 
played in the immenfity of thy works, in 
their correfpondence to each other, in their 
exact proportions, in the exquifite firu&ure 
of particulars, and in the harmonious order 
and magnificent compofition of the whole. 
And let all thy rational creatures, as if in- 
fpired by one fpirit, join in this holy act of 
adoration, and fay — 'Thou art worthy, 
Lord, who Jitte/l upon the throne, and liveft 
for ever and ever, to receive glory, and honor, 
and power ; for thou haft created all things, 
and for thy pleafure they are and were created. 
Amen. 



II. 

THE DEITY PROPITIOUS. 

At the name of the Almighty, the Creator 

of heaven and earth, the Lord, the everlaft- 

ing God, the creature finks proftrate in the 

B 2 duft. 



12 THE DEITY PROPITIOUS. 



duit, the angels themfelves confefs their 
folly. Nay, fuch is the debilitating effeft 
of fin, that the guilty foul trembles at the 
voice of God walking in the cool of the day. 
But the name of our heavenly Father, the 
Father of our Lord jefus Chrifi, and the 
God of confolation diffipates overwhelming 
apprehenfions, raifes the foul from the duft, 
infpires confidence and joy, and enables the 
creature to look up to the Creator with com- 
placency, and the (inner to behold his judge 
with hope, refignation, and firm, though 
humble, reliance. Now every endearing 
confideration is connected with this idea of 
Deity. Admiration and aftonifhment are 
tempered with tender nefs and gratitude ; — 
fear is fucceeded by affecHon and joy ; and 
the foul is drawn by the ftrongeft bands of 
love. In God we contemplate the fource 
of our life, and the length of our days, the 
reliever of our wants, our defender againd 
danger and calamity, the befiower of all our 
comforts and bleffings, the inftructor of our 
ignorance, our helper in temptation, the re- 
former of our follies and vices, our guide 
amidft uncertainty, our comforter under af- 
fliction, 



REDEMPTION. is 



fii&ion, our counfellor in perplexity, the in- 
fpirer and fupporter of our virtues, the re- 
deemer and fanctlfier of our fouls, our friend 
in every circumftance and condition of life, 
our prefent refuge and confidence, and our 
joy and happinefs for ever. We behold in- 
finite wifdom, goodnefs, and power, not 
only employed in promoting the happinefs 
of the moral and intelligent creation in ge- 
neral, but particularly engaged in our pri- 
vate behalf, and fo felicitous for our welfare, 
that nothing but our own depravity can frus- 
trate our felicity. Gjd is in Chriji re- 
conciling the world to himfelf mid not imputing 
unto men their trefpaffes* Thanks be unto God 
for his unfpeakable gift. 



HI. 

REDEMPTION, 

The everlasting Purpose of Divine Love^ 

The thoughts of the Father of fpirits are 

unfolded in his word, and they are thoughts 

of peace. Tranfporting view ! Behold the 

greatefl and molt glorious of all beings, em- 

B 3 Paying 



14 REDEMPTION. 



ploying himfelf in devifing the means of do- 
ing good, of communicating happinefs, of 
relieving the miferable ; and forming a 
fcheme of benevolence which extends from 
eternity to eternity, and comprehends in- 
numerable myriads of rational beings re- 
flored, recovered from ignorance, from guilt, 
from mifery, to wifdom, to holinefs, to per- 
fect and exalted felicity* BlefTed purpofe ! 
The formation of man, the creation of an 
univerfe are only parts of it. Man was 
formed, that he might be redeemed ; was 
fent into this world, to be prepared for hea- 
venly places in Chrifi Jefus. The firma- 
ment was expanded, adorned, lighted up, 
to yvitnefs the difplay of the exceeding riches 
of God, in his kindnefs towards us through 
Chriji Jefus ; and every fucceflive opening 
of the plan of Providence is only a new dif- 
covery, a more endearing expreffion of the 
love of Chriji, which pajfeth knowledge, of 
the peace of God, which pajfeth all under- 
Jlanding. But the love of God in Jefus 
Chrift bears date of old, even from ever- 
lofting. This pure river of the water of life 
proceeds out of the throne of God, who 

dwells 



The NECESSITY of a MEDIATOR. 15 

dwells in inacceffible light. Imagination 
wearies kfelf, and thought is loft in tracing it 
up to its fource. Blefs the Lord, O my foul ! 
Avhofrometernity,inthegreatnefsof hismight, 
in the plenitude of hisgoodnefs, in the in- 
comprehenfibiiity of his wifdom 5 condescend- 
ed to fix the bounds of thy habitation, to 
arrange the events of thy mortal exiitence, 
and to prepare thy place in the heavenly 
manfions. To the Father, to the Son, and 
to the Holy Ghoft, be honour and glory 
for ever. 



IV 7 . 

The NECESSITY of a MEDIATOR. 

From the formation of the merciful plan 
of falvation to its confummation in glory, 
the neceffity of a Mediator is never for a 
fingle moment left out of view. His namp 
like a fweet perfume, is wafted on the wings 
of every wind. Survey the world of nature, 
through all its vail: extent, and in its minuted 
particle, and we behold the ornnific Word 
by whom all things were made, and without 

whom 



16 The NECESSITY of a MEDIATOR. 

whom nothing was made that is made. He 
alfo upholdeth all by the word of his power. 
All power is given unto him in heaven and in 
earth. Open the hiitory of redemption at 
whatever page, and it dill unfolds the mercy 
of God through Chrift Jefus our Lord. 
Conduced of the Spirit back to the eternal 
days of uncreated light j admitted to the de- 
liberations of the councils of peace, we hear 
the Son of God proclaim, / am Alpha, the 
beginning. Carried forward in joyful hope 
to the day when he {hall make all things new, 
the fame voice (till proclaims, / am Omega, 
the endings who was, and is, and is to come. 
Search the fcriptures. Confult the prophets. 
To him they all give witnefs. Meditate 
the promifes. All the promifes of God, in 
him are yea, and in him amen, unto the glory 
of God. Examine the record. This is 
the record that God has given to us, eternal 
life ; and this life is in his -on. He that hath 
the Son hath life ; and he that hath not the 
Son of God hath not life. Confider the rai- 
niftratidn of angels; the covenant of promife 
was ordained by angels, in the hand of a Me- 
diator. Hearken to a voice from the ex- 
cellent 



The ATONEMENT. 



cellent glory ; This is my beloved Son, in 
whom I am.wellpleafed, hear ye him. All 
is light and glory ; but not a fingle ray of 
light is transmitted through any medium but 
this. All is grace — free, Sovereign, ever- 
lading grace ; but there is not one intima- 
tion given, not one a£t of favour conferred, 
but through the one Mediator between God 
and man, the man Chrift Jefus. To him lei 
every knee bow, to him every tongue confefs, of 
things in heaven and things in earth. For 
me, O God, let there be accefs to, and ac- 
ceptance with, thee, through the Son of thy 
love, the Eternal Word which made and 
Supports all things. 



V. 

THE ATONEMENT. 

God created man perfect and happy • per- 
fectly holy, but in a natural, therefore in a 
mutable ftate. An invincible perfeverance 
in holinefs belongs to a fupernatural ftate ; 
it is the privilege of grace, and exceeds the 
defign of the firft creation. Solicited by 

Envy, 



is The ATONEMENT. 



Envy, the firft born of hell, man finned a- 
gainft his God, and denied in the duft his 
crown of glory. It was the guilt of our 
fins that fliut the gate of heaven againfl us, 
that fubje&ed us to the wrath of God, and 
to mifery in the world to come. But Jefus 
Chrift, as our furety and redeemer, fulfilled 
that lav/ which we had broken, endured that 
wrath which we had deferved, made an a- 
tonement for thofe fins which we had com- 
mitted, and by the righteoufnefs of his life, 
by the efficacy of his fufferings, by the merit 
of his death, he fatisfied the juftice of God, 
he blotted out the fins of the world, he abo- 
lilhed death, he purchafed life, he quenched 
the fire of hell, and opened the heavens for 
the righteous to enter in. Yes, O believers, 
the ranfom was paid. Liberal to you is the 
divine benignity. Free to you the bleffing 
of life floweth, even life for evermore. Yes^ 
O believers, the ranfom was paid. Behold 
the vi&im led to the facrifice, patient, un- 
complaining, marking the way with his own 
blood. Who is it they drag like a murderer 
to Mount Calvary ? Who is it they are 
flretching on a crofs, and nailing to the ac- 

curfed 



The ATONEMENT. 19 

curled tree ? Prince of life ! Lord of glory ! 
Saviour of mankind ! Great High Prieft of 
the world ! we cannot call upon thee to _ 
come down from the crofs, for thou art now 
purchafing eternal life for us. Yes, O my 
foul, the ranfom was paid. The facrifice 
which was offered up, was accepted by God. 
The Lord, before he bowed upon the crofs, 
cried out, // is fimjhed. As a full confir- 
mation, that the merit of his facrifice was a- 
vailable to purchafe everlafling life, he rofe 
from the dead on the third day, and is now 
afcended up on high, to take pofleflion of 
thofe heavens which he hath pur chafed for 
his people, and is now preparing a place for 
them in thofe manfions, which are in his Fa- 
ther's houfe. In the atonement of the Lord 
Jefus Chrift I trull: for pardon and life. — 
God forbid that I jhoidd glory \ j ( ave in the crofs 
of my Redeemer, I rejefl: with deteftation 
every other objeft, as the caufe of my hap- 
pinefs and the fubje£t of my glory* I pray 
that the Holy Ghoft, the fpirit of light, and 
power, and love, may affure me that I am 
one of thofe children, of and by whom Su- 
preme Wifdom is juftified\ whofe fouls are 

healed 



20 VICTORY over SIN and DEATH. 

healed by the blood of fprinkling^ who are 
heirs of immortality, whofe names are en- 
graven on the rock of falvation, and to 
whom is opened the fountain of life. 



VI. 

VICTORY over SIN and DEATH. 

How fliall duft and afhes fland in the pre- 
fence of that uncreated glory, before which 
principalities and powers bow down, tremble, 
and adore ? How fhall guilty and felf-con- 
demned creatures appear before him, in 
whofe fight the heavens are not clean, and 
who chargeth his angels with folly ? This is 
the fling of death. It is guilt that fharpens 
the fpear of the king of terrors. But even 
in this view we have victory over fin and 
death, through Jefus Chrift our Lord. By 
his death upon the crofs, an atonement was 
made for the fins of men. The wrath of 
God was averted from the world. Under 
the banner of the crofs pardon is proclaimed 
to returning penitents. They who accept 
the offers of mercy, and who fly for refuge 

to 



STRONG CONSOLATION, 



to the hope fet before them, are taken into 
favour Their fms are forgiven, and their 
names are written in the book of life Over 
them death has no power. The king of 
terrors is transformed into an angel of peace, 
to waft them to their native country, where 
they long to be. 



VII. 
STRONG CONSOLATION. 

What evil can come nigh to him for 
whom Jefus died ? O believer, does the law 
which thou hail broken, denounce ven- 
geance againft thee ? Behold that law ful- 
filled in the meritorious life of thy redeemer. 
Does the fentence of death pronounced a- 
gainfl the pofterity of Adam found in thine 
ears ? Behold that fentence blotted out, that 
hand-writing, as the apoftle calls it, cancel- 
led, nailed to thy Saviour's crofs, and left 
there as a trophy of his victory. Art thou 
afraid that the cry of thy offences may rife 
C to 



22 STRONG CONSOLATION. 



to heaven, and reach the ears of juftice ? 
There is no place for it there ; in room of 
it afcends the voice of that blood which 
fpeaketh better things than the blood of AbeL 
Does the enemy of mankind accufe thee at 
the judgment feat? He is put to filence by 
thy advocate and interceffbr at the right 
hand of thy Father. Does death appear to 
thee in a form of terror, and hold out his 
fling to alarm thy mind ? His terror is re- 
moved, and his fling was pulled out by that 
hand, which, on Mount Calvary, was fixed 
to the accurfed tree. Art thou afraid that 
the arrows of divine wrath, which fmite the 
guilty, may be aimed at thy head ? Before 
they can touch thee, they mufl pierce that 
body, which, in the fymbols of divine infli- 
tution at a communion table, has often been 
held forth to thee as crucified for fin, and 
which, at the right hand of the Majefly in 
the heavens, is for ever prefented in behalf 
of the redeemed. Well, then, may the be- 
liever join in the triumphant fong of the a- 
poitle — death! where is thyftingl grave! 
where is thy viftory ? Through Jefus Chrifl 

may 



The SANCTIFIER. 23 

may this be my triumphant fong, O my 
Father, and my God ! 



VIII. 

THE SANCTIFIER. 



There was once an harmonious tempera* 
xnent in the human frame. But that date 
of innocence is now no more. Our nature 
is now degenerated. How then fhall we re- 
cover the original reclitude of our nature, 
and obtain a victory over the vices which 
war againfl the foul ? The God of love gra- 
cioufly interpofes for our recovery. As he 
fent his Son into the world to redeem us 
from the guilt of fin and the curfe of the 
law, fo he gives us his Holy Spirit to deliver 
us from the dominion of fin, and to tranflate 
us from the bondage of Satan into the fa- 
mily of Heaven, and the glorious liberty of 
the children of God Hence he is faid to work 
in us both to will and to do that which is 
his good pleafure. We are faid to receive 
the Spirit> and our bodies are fly led the 
C 2 temples 



24 The SANCTIFIER. 

temples of the Holy Ghq/i. Bleffed be the 
Father of mercies for his purpofes of grace 
towards mankind ! From the crofs of Jefus 
Chrift, virtue flows to the world, and heal- 
ing to the nations. In confequence of his 
fufferings and death, the Lord our Redeemer 
is now afcended to the right hand of the 
Majefty in the heavens, to adminifter the af- 
fairs of his kingdom, and difpenfe the trea- 
sures of the new covenant. He retains the 
nature, and reprefents the perfons, of his 
people in the prefence of God, and makes 
interceffion with the Father in their behalf. 
He fends down his fanctifying fpirit to re- 
pair the ruins of their nature, to create in 
them the clean heart ; to lead them on from 
grace to grace,and from flrength to ftrength, 
till they perfect holinefs in the fear of the 
Lord, Having thus recovered the original 
honours of their frame, and being reftored 
to the image of God, he tranflates them to 
the manfions of immortality above, where 
thefe good tidings of great joy are a fubje£t 
of praife amidft an innumerable company of 
angels , and the fpirit s ofjufimen made perfect. 
O thou Spirit of love and power ! blefs me 

with 



The MAJESTY of REVELATION. 2* 



with the honour and the joy of being thy 
temple, and make me meet for the inheritance 
of the faints in light* 



IX. 

The MAJESTY of REVELATION. 

That mud certainly be thought the true 
religion which gives us the nobleft ideas of 
God. Let our religion be judged by this 
rule. Where do we fee the attributes of 
the Supreme Being placed in fo clear a light? 
What can be conceived more fublime than 
a being whom nothing efcapes ; before 
whom all things are naked and open ; who 3 
by one fmgle look, fully comprehends all 
beings paft, prefent, and to come — all that 
do exift, all that poffibly can exift ; who 
thinks in the fame inftant, with equal faci- 
lity, on bodies and fpirits, on all the dimen- 
sions of time and afmatter? What more noble 
can be conceived, than a being who impart* 
eth himfelf to all, diffufeth himfelf through 
all, influenceth all, giveth life and motion to 
C % all I 



26 The MAJESTY of REVELATION. 

all ? What can be conceived more glorious 
than a being who direfteth the conduft of 
the whole univerfe, who knoweth how to 
make all concur to his defigns, who know- 
eth how to connect alike w r ith the laws of 
order and equity, the virtues of the right- 
eous, the vices of the wicked, the praifes of 
the happy, the blafphemies of the damned ? 
We admire and extol thofe heathen Philo- 
fophers, in whom, amidlt a thoufand falfe 
notions, amidft a thoufand wild imaginations 
and defiled ideas, fome few leaves of the 
flowers, with which our bibles are ftrewed, 
have been found. On this principle, what 
refpeft, what veneration, what deference 
ought we to have for the patriarchs and the 
prophets, for the evangelifts and the apoftles, 
who fpokeof God in fo fublime a manner ! 
However be not furprifed at their fuperiority 
over the great pagan geniufes. Had the 
biblical writers, like them, been guided only 
by human reafon, like them they would have 
wandered too. If they fpoke fo nobly, fo glo- 
rioufly of God, it was becaufe they had re- 
ceived that fpirit whofearcheih all things, yea 
the deep things of God. It was becaufe all 

Scrhture 



The ADVANTAGES of REVELATION. 27 

Scripture was given by infpiration. It was 
beeaufe' the prophecy came not in old time by 
the will of man, but holy men of 'God /pake as 
they zvere moved by the Holy Ghoji. 



X. 

The ADVANTAGES of REVELATION. 

That which natural religion cannot attain, 
revealed religion clearly difcovers. Reve- 
lation exhibits the Deity as an eternal and 
inexhauftible fountain of mercy ; and leads 
us to contemplate his eternal and all animat- 
ing goodnefs, his gracious and moderating 
juflice. his unbounded mercy, and almighty 
benevolence, with delightful wonder, vene- 
ration, and praife. It exhibits a God-man 
dying for the fins of mankind, and offering 
grace to every penitent finner. It extends 
its radiance alfo over the region and fhadow 
of death. It teaches us clearly, and with- 
out a may-be, that God willeth our immor- 
tality* The future fcenes of happinefs and 

glory 



23 The ADVANTAGES of REVELATION. 

glory are not only difcovered by the gofpel 
of Jefus Chrift, but are fet before our eyes* 
In the infpired oracles, we hear the voice of 
the archangel and the trump of God ; we 
fee the dead arifmg from their graves, and 
a mighty army of faints and martyrs fpring- 
ing with joy from dud and corruption. We 
fee Jefus upon the throne, and the faithful 
at his right hand. We hear the happy fen- 
tence pronounced upon them ; Come, ye 
blejfed of my Fat her ', Inherit the kingdom pre- 
pared for you from the foundation of the 
world* We fee them with palms of vic- 
tory in their hands, and with crowns of glory 
on their heads, afcending up on high with 
their Lord, and fitting down with him upon 
his throne. Affift me by thy Spirit, O God 
of mercy, to affimilate my religion to the 
grand and gracious economy under which I 
Kve. Lead me to knowledge, to faith, to 
virtue and to felicity. 



THANKSGIVING for REVELATION. 



XL 

THANKSGIVING for REVELATION. 

Unto him that kwd us, and zo :\(ked us from 
ourfns in his own blood, and bath made us 
king 1 : and prints unto God, even the Father ; 
to him be glory and dominion fir ever. Bleffhd 
be he thai came in the name of the Lord tofave 
m ; that came in thy name, Almighty Fa- 
ther, in veiled with pre-eminent authority. 
Blefied be he who [pake as never man/pas; 
who performed works which no man had e- 
ver performed ; who convinced and pene- 
trated his hearers bv the fimpliciry of truth, 
and who aftonifhed and awed them by its 

rfty. BleiTed be he who removed the 
clouds and darknefs that refted on future ex- 
igence, io far as was expedient for thofe 
who were ordained to live by filth and 

ight ; who fet forth the retributions of 
eternity, in language the moil powerful and 
affecting ; and, pointing to the pleafant but 
narrow path to heaven, earneftly called on 

wandering 



SO THANKSGIVING for REVELATION. 

wandering mortals to follow him thither. — 

Bleffed be he who kindly admonifhed us to 
fhun the broad but treacherous way that 
leadeth to deftruftion ; who comforted 
them that mourned ; who lived and died, 
the j aft for the imjuj}, that he might bring us 
to God. But, O ever-bleffed Gad, who can 
fpeak the power of his refurre&ion, the 
grandeur of his afcenfion, the prevalence of 
his mediation, or the triumphs of his ev^r- 
laitmg gofpel ? Well might you, ye fons of 
God, ye holy and benevolent angels, fing 
together, and fhout for joy at the refloration 
of a fallen univerfe — Glory to God in the 
highejl ; on earth peace ; good will towards 
men. Merciful Father ! what profpe&s rife 
to my enraptured view ! the light of truth 
dawns upon the darkefi minds, like that of 
the morning on the benighted traveller.— 
The lowed difciple of Jefus is wifer than the 
greateil teachers of pagan philofophy. The 
fweetnefs of pardon defcends into the_hearts 
of the contrite, like rain upon the mown grafs. 
The humble and fincere are called to rejoice 
in the affurance of falvation, The fouls of 
men are renovated by thy fpirit, O God, as 

the 



REVELATION CREDIBLE. si 



the face of the earth is revived by returning 
fpring. But I am tranfported with the be- 
lief and the profpe&s of immortality If ye 
believe that Jefus died and rofe again ; even 
fo, them alfo thatjleep in Jefus ', will God bring 
with him. With fuch profpefts and fuch 
hopes, what have thy fervants to fear, O 
God, or why fhould their hearts be troubled 
in life or in death ? Prefer ve me, mod mer- 
ciful Father, from doubting for a moment 
the divine evidence of the gofpel, or diftruft- 
ing, even in the darkeft hour, the wifdom 
and benignity of its author* Fill my foul 
with fentiments of devout gratitude; and 
enable me to teftify my thankfulnefs to thee, 
by living foberly, righteou/ly, and godly. 



XII. 

The MYSTERIES of REVELATION CREDIBLE. 

I believe, but I cannot comprehend or ex- 
plain the felf-exiflence, infinity, and unfuc- 
ceffive duration of God, Thefe attributes 

juftify 



REVELATION CREDIBLE. 



juftify all thofe dark myfteries which are a- 
bove the comprehenfion of my feeble reafon. 
I freely grant that had 1 confulted my own 
reafon only, I could not have difcovered 
fome myfteries of the gofpel. Neverthelefs, 
when I think on the immenfity of God, when 
I caft my eyes on that vaft ocean, when I 
confider that immenfe all, nothing aftoniflies 
me, nothing flumbles me, nothing feems to 
me inadmiiable, how incomprehenfible fo- 
ever it may be. When the fubject is divine, 
I am ready to believe all, to admit all, to re- 
ceive all ; provided I be convinced that it is 
God himfelf who fpeaks to me, or any one on 
his part. After this I am no more aftonifhed 
that there are three diftinct perfons in one 
divine effence ; one God — and yet a Father, 
a Son, and a Holy Ghoft. After this I am 
no longer aftonifhed that God forefees all 
without forcing any ; permits fin without 
forcing the finner ; ordains free and intelli- 
gent creatures, to fuch and fuch ends, yet 
without deftroying their intelligence or their 
libertv. After this I am no more aftonifhed 
that the juftice of God requireth a fatisfac- 
tion proportional to his greatnefs 5 that his 

own 



The PRESUMPTION of INFIDELITY. 33 

own love hath provided that fatisfa&ion ; 
and that God, from the abundance of his 
compaffion, defigned the myftery of an in- 
carnate God ; — a myftery, which angels'ad- 
mire while fceptics oppofe; a myftery, which 
abforbs human reafon, but which fills all 
heaven with fongs of praife j a myftery, 
which is the great myftery by excellence, but 
the greatnefs of which nothing fhould make 
us reje&, fmce religion propofeth it as the 
grand effort of the wifdom of the incompre- 
henfible God, and commandeth us to re- 
ceive it on the teftimony of the incompre- 
henfibie God himfelf. Father of lights ! con- 
defcend to teach me what is neceflary to my 
happinefs. Guide me with thy counfel^ and 
afterwards receive me to glory. 



XIII. 

The PRESUMPTION of INFIDELITY. 

Either religion muft tell us nothing about 

God, or what it tells us muft be beyond our 

D capacities j 



2 4 The PRESUMPTION or INFIDELITY, 

capacities ; and, in difcovering even the bor- 
ders of this immenfe ocean, it muit needs 
exhibit a vaft extent in which our feeble 
eyes are loft. But what furprifes me, what 
(tumbles me, what frightens me, is to fee a 
diminutive creature, a contemptible man, 
a little ray of light, glimmering through a 
few feeble organs, controvert a point with 
the Supreme Being, oppofe that Intelligence 
that fitted] at the helm of the world, queftion 
what he affirms, difpute what he determines, 
appeal from his decifions, and, even after 
God hath given evidence, reject all doctrines 
that are beyond his capacity. Enter into 
thy nothingnefs, mortal creature. What 
madnefs animates thee ? How 7 dareft thou 
pretend,thou who art but a point, thou whofe 
eflence is but an atom, to meafure thyfelf 
with the Great Supreme, with him who fil- 
leth heaven and earth, with him whom bea- : 
ven, the heaven of heavens cannot contain ? 
Canji thou by f ear ching find out God? Canjt 
ttm find 'out the Almighty toperfeclion? High as 
heaven what canjl thou do ? Deeper than hell 
what canft thou, know I Hefiretcheth out the 

north 



IMPERFECT KNOWLEDGE. 



north over the empty place? and hangeth the 
earth upon nothing. He bindeth up the waters 
in his clouds — the pillars of heaven tremble and 
are ajlonijhed at his reproof. Lo! ihefe are 
parts of his ways ; but how little a portion is 
heard of him ? I will therefore magnify his 
works which I behold? and zvill Jilently adore 
what I cannot comprehend* 



XIV. 
LMPERFECTION of MAN's KNOWLEDGE. 

What can we attain by the moft unwea- 
ried purfuit of knowledge, but to difcover 
how little can be known ? Even in the 
works of nature, where our knowledge is 
moft perfect, there is always a depth which 
we can never fathom. We can only guefs 
a little, but completely comprehend nothing. 
Every thing within us and without us may 
remind us of the limitation of the human un- 
derflanding. If then we underftand not 
earthly, how fhall we comprehend fpiritual 
D 2 and 



S«f IMPERFECT KNOWLEDGE. 

and heavenly things ? If we are a myftery to 
ourfelves, no wonder that many truths, re- 
fpe&ing the nature, perfections, and coun- 
fels of that being whom the heaven of hea- 
vens cannot contain, fhould, like himfelf 
dwell in a light inacceflible to human un- 
derftanding. But,bleffedbehisname,weknow 
what is enough for us to know. In the pre- 
cepts of revelation there is not even the fha- 
dow of a myftery, Nothing is more clear 
in Scripture than the commandments of 
God ; nothing more myfterious than his na- 
ture and effence. It becomes us then, and 
it will be our intereft, to attend chiefly to 
what God hath moft clearly revealed ; to 
account it our duty to admire, to love, and 
to obey that infinite being who comprehend- 
eth all perfeftion, and who out-reaeheth all 
wonder ; to make up hi veneration what we 
want in knowledge — with all the powers of 
our fouls to adore and praife him who is a- 
bove all praife j and to afcribe to him, as is 
moft due, honour, and bleffing, and domi- 
nion, and glory. 



FAITH. 37 



XV. 
FAIT H. 



Every a£t of the mind acquiefcing in a re- 
vealed truth is called faith in the flile of fa- 
cred fcripmr e But there is a particular faith 
to which fcripture afcribes extraordinary 
praife. Of this it is faid, through faith are 
yefaved. To comprehend its nature, we 
muft inquire into its objed. The great 
and principal objett, which is prefented to 
the faith that juftifies, without doubt is the 
Lord Jefus Chrift, as dying and offering 
himfelf to the juftice of his Father. On this 
account St. Paul fays to the Corinthians, I 
determined not to know any thing among you, 
fave Jefus Chrift, and him crucified. Faith 
contemplates the objefis that are difplayed 
in the crofs of Jefus Chrift, and perfuades 
the Chriftian, that there is no other way of 
obtaining, falvation ; or, to ufe the language 
of fcripture, that there is none other name un~ 
der heaven-given among men, whereby we may 
befaved. It infpires him with a fmcere de- 
D 3 fire 



SS FAITH. 

fire of lodging under the fhadow of his crofs^ 
or, to fpeak in plain feripture language, with- 
out a figure, of being found in him, not ha- 
i)ing his own righteoufnefs, which is of the law ; 
but that which is through the faith of Chrifi. 
But this' notion of faith is vague \ it is equi- 
vocal, and open to illufion. We are not 
faved by wiihing to be faved ; nor are we 
juftified, becaufe we barely defire to be jus- 
tified. 

There is a defire that animates us with a 
determination to participate in the benefits 
of the death of Chrifi, whatever God may 
require, and whatever facrifices we may be 
obliged to make to poffefs them. This de- 
lire conflitutes the effence of faith. 

The true believer enquires with the ftri£t- 
eft fcrutiny what God requires of him, and 
he finds three principal articles. Jefus Chrifi^ 
he perceives, is propofed to his mind, to 
his heart, and to his condudt. Faith 
receives the Lord Jefus Chrifi in all thefe 
refpeclsj in regard to the mind, to re- 
gulate its ideas by the decifioa of Jefus Chrift 

alone 5. 



FAlTHv St> 

alone ;, in regard to the heart, to embrace 
that felicity only, which Jefus Chrift propo- 
feth to its hope ; in regard to the conduft, 
to make the laws of Jefus Chrift the only 
rule of action. Faith, then, is that difpofi- 
tion of foul which receives the Lord Jefus. 
Chrift wholly, as a prophet, a prieft, and a 
king ; or as a teacher, a promifer, and a le- 
giflator. Faith will enable us to admit the 
moil incomprehenfible truths, the moft ab- 
ftrufe dodirines, the moft profound myfteries* 
if Jefus Chrift reveal them* Faith will en- 
gage us to wifh for that kind of felicity,, 
which is the moft oppoflte to the defires of 
flefh and blood, if Jefus Chrift promife it.. 
Faith will infpire us with refolution to break 
the ftrongeft ties, to mortify the moft eager 
defires, if Jefus Chrift command us to do 
fo. 

I rejoice that I am ftill a prtfoner of' hope* 
X will flee to Jefus Chrift, my ftrong hold^ 
my tower of defence and of fafety. To him. 
I will daily refign my mind, my heart, and 
my life. Dwell in my foul, and infpire me 
with ftrength, O thou Spirit of Faith ! Let 

my 



40 FAITH. 

my faith be thy operation, the purchafe of 
Jefus's blood, the diflinguiflied gift of Jeho- 
vah's hand, the principle of fpiritual life, li- 
berty, health, nourishment, and glory, from 
the fulnefs of Chrifl. Abide alfo in me as a 
fpirit of hope and love. Enliven and ftreng- 
then me to fix the hope, the anchor of my foul ^ 
to a flrong and lively faith ; to caft it beyond 
myfelf, and to fix rt in Jefus Chrifl, the im- 
moveable rock, that flands on the fhore of a 
diftant, better world. With the wings of 
faith an 1 love, may I fly habitually, on thy 
facred influences, above this world and all 
its earthly concerns ; above the clouds of 
ignorance, guilt, and affiidtion, and afcend 
to Jefus, my exalted Saviour, and to other, 
heavenly, durable objefts* 



Hark, the glad found, the Saviour comes !- 
The Saviour promis'd lorig y 

Let every heart exult, with joy, 
And every voice be long. 

Not to condemn the fons of men 
The Son of God appeared ; 
No weapons in his hand are feer% 
Nor voice of terror heard. 



The AUTHOR of RENOVATION. 41 

He came to raife our fallen ftate, 

And our loft hopes reftore ; 
Faith leads us to the mercy-feat, 

And bids us fear no more. 



XVL 

The AUTHOR of RENOVATION. 

It has been wofully demonftrated to be 
an eafy matter to mar the work of God. — 
Adam defaced the divine image in his own 
perfon, by one wilful transgreffion. Mofes 
cancelled the hand-writing of ordinances, in 
one rafh moment : and every thoughtlefs 
tranfgreffor is pulling down, in his own per- 
fon, a fabric of God's rearing. But all the 
powers of nature united, are incapable of 
rebuilding that temple, of renewing that 
writing, ofreftoring that image. He who 
in the beginning commanded light to fJoine out 
of darknefs) alone can relumine the extin- 
guished life of God in the foul. The hand 
which at firft created man out of dajl of the 
ground, alone can form of the dead in tret 

paffea 



42 REGENERATION. 



paffes and fins, a new creature in Chrift Je- 
fus unto good works. Bleffed be thou, O 
God of love, for the intervention of a Medi- 
ator. I rejoice to know, that the general 
affembiy and church of the firfl-born writ- 
ten in heaven, is not compofed of men that 
never left their firft eft ate, but of juft men 
made perfect ; not of creatures like Adam 
in a ftate of innocence, but of creatures re- 
deemed by the blood of the Son of God ; 
juftified by the redemption that is in Chrift 
Jefus, and fanftified by the Spirit of the 
living God. I will not then regret the lofs 
of an earthly paradife, nor the deftru&ion of 
the image of a changeable, though perfect 
creature, while through grace, I may regain 
the paradife of God, and be fafhioned in body 
and in fpirit like unto my glorious Redeemer 



XVII. 

REGENERATION. 

What folemn afleverations are thefe of 
Jefus Chrift j Verily, verily, except a man be 

born 



REGENERATION. 43 

4»»«B»— — — i— ""•■■' l l ii rii i nmn in»iinmr«r.i r 

born again, he cannot fee the kingdom of heaven ; 
except ye be converted, and become as little chil- 
dren^ ye cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven* 
Who, then, is a regenerate man ? A rege- 
nerate man is not one who lightly deter- 
mines his choice of a religion ; he is not a 
child tofled to and fro, and carried about 
with every wind of do&rine j but he is a 
man, who hath fludied chriftianity, weigh- 
ed its arguments, feen its evidences, and felt 
all their force, fo that he is perfuaded by 
demonftration, that there is a God, a pur- 
pofe of grace, a providence, another life, a 
judgement, a heaven, a hell. A regenerate 
man is one who, by continual meditations, 
prayers, and pious a&ions, hath furmounted 
his natural propenfities to fin. He is a man, 
whofe conftitution is new-caft and refined ; 
fo that, inflead of being inwardly carried a- 
way to fin by his own violent paffions, he is 
inwardly moved to the pradice of piety and 
virtue. 

A regenerate man is one who, in pious 
exercifes, has experienced that fatisfa&ion 
which a rational mind taftes, when inward 

confcioufnefs 



44 REGENERATION. 

confcioufnefs attefts a harmony between def- 
tiny and duty. He is a man who has felt that 
peace which paffeth all under/landings that joy 
unfpeakable and full of glory % which the pre- 
fence of God produceth in the foul. He is 
a man whofe life has abounded with thofe 
happy periods, in which the foul jofes fight 
of the world, holds communion with its God, 
foretaftes eternal felicity, and finds itfelf 
raifed up from the dead, and made to fit in 
heavenly places with Chrifi Jefus. A rege- 
nerate man is one who knows, meditates 
upon, adores and venerates the attributes 
of God, his wifdom, his omni-prefence, and 
his juftice ; and particularly thofe depths of 
mercy which inclined hmi to redeem a fal- 
len world, and to ranfom it by afacrifice, the 
bare idea of which confounds imagination, 
and abforbs all thought. A regenerate man 
is one whofe own ideas of God as gracious 
in Chrift Jefus, have produced love to him j 
a love the more fervent, becaufe it is found- 
ed on his own perfections and excellencies ; 
a love ftrong as death ; a love that many wa- 
ters cannot quench , neither can the floods drown. 
O fellow mortal ! is this thy chara&er ? — 

Then 



PRACTICAL RELIGION. 



Then rejoice, for thou art born of God, and 
canft and wilt fee the kingdom of heaven. 
Love to God and man fhed abroad in thy 
heart by the fpirit of truth, is the infallible 
teftimony, that thou haft in heaven, a better 
and more enduring fubftance than this frail, 
perifhing world. O my foul ! be fure that 
this character, and the joy of aflurance that 
refults from it, are always and habitually thy 
own. God of mercy ! grant me this grace, 
through Jefus Chrift. — Amenl 



XVIII. 
PRACTICAL RELIGION, 

The do&rine of a trinity of perfons in one 
God-head is fo far from being merely fpecu- 
lative, as fome pretend, that without the fpi- 
ritual knowledge of it, no motive to, or ex- 
ercife of, piety or virtue, canbe rightlyunder- 
flood or praftifed. The whole of practical re- 
ligion confifts in diftinft fellowfhip with thofe 
divine perfons. Firft, it confifts in fellowfhip 
E with 



PRACTICAL RELIGION. 



with the Father; in difcerning, believing, 
and admiring his love, and in returning 
that love ; in grateful deiires after him, in 
delight in him, in reverence of him, and in 
obedience to him. Secondly, it confifts in 
fellowfhip with the Son ; in receiving him 
as Immanuel, God-man, full of grace and 
truth, as our head, our ftrength, and our 
redeemer ; in reding on his righteoufnefs, 
in receiving and improving all his purchafed 
bleffings, to render us lovers of God and of 
men for his fake. It confifts, laftly, in fel- 
lowfhip with the Holy Ghoft ; in preparing 
for, hrreceiving, in co-operating with, and 
Improving his perfonal prefence, and mani- 
fold gracious influences, for the fandtifica- 
lion and comfort of our hearts, and for the 
rendering our lives truly pious and profi- 
table. 

I will, therefore, watch at the gates of 
heavenly wifdom ; I will attend unceafingly 
and unweariedly, on the means of grace, till 
I obtain the privileges of that fellowfhip, till 
I obtain the full affurance of faith, that thefe 
Infinite Three are all my own j till I am 

able^ 



MEDITATION and PRAYER. i; 

able, on good grounds, to fay, with an emi- 
nent fervant of God — O ! thrice happy new 
covenant ftate, in which the Father, the Son f 
and the Holy Ghoft undertake for me, per- 
form all for me, and in me, and are all in 
all to me ! Thrice-happy heaven, where the 
glittering vanities of creation fhall be forever 
forgotten, and a three-one redeeming God 
{hall be forever feen, forever known, forever 
immediately enjoyed, as my God, and my- 
all in alL 



XIX. 

MEDITATION and PRAYER; 

Meditation and prayer are like the fpies 
that went to fearch the land of Canaan j the 
one views, and the other cuts down ; and 
both bring home a tafie of the faireft and 
fweeteft fruits of heaven. Meditation, like 
the eye, views our mercies ; and prayer, like 
the hand, reacheth in thofe mercies. — Or, 
meditation is like a fa&or, who liveth abroad 
£2 to 



48 MEDITATION and PRAYER. 



to gather in what we want ; and prayer, like 
a (hip, goes forth and brings in what we de- 
fire. It is my mifery, that I cannot be fo 
perfect, as not to want ; but it is thy mercy, 
O Lord ! that prevents me from being fo 
miferable as not to be fupplied. Meditation 
cannot difcover a real want, but prayer will 
fetch in an anfwerable comfort. If mercy 
be fo free, I will never be poor ; but I will 
meditate to know it — when I know it I will 
pray for afupply according to my neceffities; 
and yet not reft, until thou, O Father of 
mercies ! {halt do more for me than I am 
able to afk or think. AIM me to ftudy thy 
word, fo as to acquire the knowledge of thee 
as a God in Chrift Jefus ; and to meditate 
and pray fo as to reduce that knowledge to 
practice. And let the meditations and 
prayers of my heart be acceptable in thy 
fight, through Jefus Chrift, my righteouf- 
nefs, my ftrength, and my redeemer. 



Remember me ; Lord, with that love 

Which thou to thine doft bear j 
With thy falvation, O my God, 

To vifit me draw near. 

That 



CONTEMPLATION. 4S 



That I thy chofen's good may fee, 
And in their joy rejoice : 

And may with thine inheritance^ 
Triumph with chearful voice, 



XX. 

:ONTEMPLATION, 



Saint Bernard fitly compares contemp" 
tion to the eagle : For as the eagle in her 
afcent fallens her eye on the radiant beams 
of the fun; fo pious contemplation is al- 
ways looking at the glorious beams of the 
Sun of Righteoufnefs ; and is (till conver-. 
fant about the high and profitable things of 
falvation.. Or, I may compare it to thofc 
birds mentioned by thePfalmift, which build 
their nefts near the altar of God. In the 
houfe of the Lord, a faithful foul findeth 
freedom from forrow, quiet of mind, and 
giadnefs of fpirit ; like a bird that has fe- 
cured a little manfion for the reception and 
education of her young. 

E 3 Nay 



50 CONTEMPLATION. 

Nay this is that celeftial bird, which builds 
her neft near the throne of glory ; and there 
defcries, with rapture, thofe eternal man- 
fions, from whence fin and forrow are ex- 
cluded ; where peace and unity are violated 
no more ; where righteoufnefs, joy, and fe- 
licity reign triumphant ; and where Jefus 
Chrift, the king of angels and men, dwelleth 
in glorious majefty, conftituting by his pre- 
fence the felicity of his chofen> This is the 
bee which extracts honey from every flower 
of paradife. By contemplation I can con- 
verfe with God, folace myfelf in the bofom 
of my beloved, draw joy from the wells of 
celeftial pleafures, tread the paths of my 
reft, and view the manfion of my eternity. 
What makeft thou then, O my foul ! in this 
valley of tears? Afcend the mount, and view 
the land of promife. What makeft thou 
*n this wildernefs of trouble ? Mount up as 
on eagle's wings, and take thy flight to hea- 
ven. Behold, by faith, the heavenly Jeru- 
falem, the city and court of the king of 
glory, with all the tranfporting joys of the 
church triumphant. Let thy thoughts be 
where thy happinefs is, and let thy heart be 

where 



CONTEMPL ATIO N. 51 

where thy thoughts are* Though thou 
dwelleft upon earth, ina land of captivity and 
exile, yet let thy converfation be always in 
heaven. 

Companionate Father ! Forgive the lan- 
guor of my devotion. Blefs me with that 
fpirit of pious contemplation, which foothes 
the bread into ferenity, fupplies devotion 
with its ampled drains, lifts the faculties to 
him who gave them, and brings the foul 
into the everlading courts of Jehovah. 

My heart and flefli ay out for thee^ 

While far from thine abode -, 
When fnall I tread thy courts, and fee 

My Saviour and my God ? 

Could I command the fpacious land,, 

And the more boundlefe fea, 
For one bleft hour at thy right hand 

I'd give them all away. 



NATURE 



NATURE of the SOUL. 



XXL 

NATURE of the SOUL. 

What art thou, O rny foul ! Art thou 
fire ?. Art thou air ? Art thou ^therial mat- 
tar ; I am at a lofs to define thee. 

Notwithftanding, I perceive enough cf 
thy nature to convince me of a great 
difproportion between thy prefentftate, and 
that end for which thy Creator feems to have 
formed thee. I know, I feel that thou art a 
fpiritual effence, an epitome of heaven, a be- 
ing eagerly bent on the enjoyment of a 
happinefs infinite in its duration. What fa- 
tisfies thee, O my immortal foul ? Nothings 
none but the immortal God, in whom all 
fulnefe dwells. He only can fill the foul, 
who filleth the heaven and earth. The in- 
efficient creature may fill the foul with vex- 
ation. None but the all-fufficient God can 
fill it with fatisfaSion. Therefore what 
fhall a rational man, a man who is capable 
of comparing eternity with time ; what 

fhall 



DESIRES of the SOUL. m 

fhall fuch a man give in exchange for his 
foul ? O Lord ! as no action of mine will 
fatisfy thee without myfelf ; fo no creature 
of thine will fatisfy me without thyfelf : — 
Therefore, O Lord ! take thou my heart 9 
and give me thyfelf. 

Whom have I in the heavens high 

But thee, O Lord, alone ? 
And in the earth, whom I desire^ 

Besides thee there 13 none. 



XXII. 

DESIRES of the SOUL. 

Whether I climb the higheft eminences, 
or pry into the deepeft indigence, I can dif- 
<:over no obje£t capable of filling my capa- 
cious defires. Ten thoufand years are too 
few to gratify my defires. What is not ex- 
ternal is unequal to my wifhes* The all- 
wife Creator does nothing in vain. There- 
fore thofe defires of immortal duration fhall 

be 



54 DESIRES of the SOUL. 

be gratified. Hence, I will enter into the 
plan of my Creator, who hath created me 
capable of eternal felicity, and into that of 
my Redeemer, who hath died to enable me 
to arrive at it. How glorious the profpeft L 
What wanteft thou, O my foul ? With what 
imaginable excellency wouldft thou clothe 
ihyfelf ? What defirable objeft wouldft thou 
pitch upon ? Is it beauty ? The righteous Jh all 
Jhine forth as the fun in the kingdom of heaven* 
Is it riches ? Every one in God's family 
fhall have a glorious, incorruptible, and e- 
ternal inheritance. What is it then ? Is it 
honour ! what honour like to this ; to be a 
friend and favourite of God, brought nigh by 
the blood of Chrifl ; to have a crown of rizht~ 
eoufnefs, of 'iife 9 and of glory ; yet more \ a far 
more exceeding and eternal weight of glory fet 
upon thy head. Or again, Is it pleafure ?— * 
The jufl ftiall enter into their mailer's joy, 
and there are rivers of pleafures at his right 
hand for evermore . In a word, what wouidfl 
thou have, O my flefh ? A confluence of alL 
the glorious things both in heaven and in 
earth ? Why, godlinefs hath the promife of 
the life that now. island of that which is to 

. come 



A CHRISTIAN'S END. 55 

come. If heaven, and the righteoufnefs 
thereof, are the obje&s which thou feekeft ; 
thefe, with all the durable riches and excel- 
lencies thereof, thou fhalt afluredly find. — 
Make me holy, O Lord ! and then I am fure 
I fhall be happy. 

Soon fhall this earthly frame diffolv'd 

In death and ruins lie 5 
But better manfions wait the juft, 

Prepared above the fky. 

Such is the hope that chears their fouls, 
That hope their God hath given : 

His fpirit is the earner! now, 
And feals their fouls for heaven. 



XXIII. 
A CHRISTIANS END. 



Wife agents always propofe an end before 
they begin their work, and then direft their 
anions to that end. If the mariner launch, 
it is that he may get to fuch a harbour ;— 

therefore 



56 A CHRISTIAN'S END. 

therefore he fails by compafs, that he may 
obtain what he fails for. 

A Chriftian fhould always have one eye 
upon his end, and the other eye upon his 
way. That man lives a brutifh life, who 
knows not what he lives for ; and he acts 
but a fool's part, who aims at heaven and 
lives at random. A chriftian's wifdom con- 
fifts in two things — in chufing a right end, 
and in ufing right means to obtain it ; or, 
in chufing eternal happinefs as the end, and 
in ufing Jefus Chrift as the way. What 
doft thou aim at, O my foul ! Is it a full en- 
joyment of thy God? Why then, credit, 
and truft with approbation and acquiefcence 
in Jefus Chrift, as the way of accefs to the 
Father in prayer and other a£ls of homage, 
of the expiation of fin, of pardon for the 
guilty, of juftification and peace with God, 
of holinefs, and of happinefs. This is the 
way in which thou fhalt always fee heaven 
before thee. Spirit of truth, and light, and 
power ! teach me the faith and the holinefs 
of the gofpel. Aid me to be ftrong in faith, 
and to grow in grace, and in the practical 

. and 



A RICH WORLDLING. 



and experimental knowledge of Jefus Chrift , 
Favour me upon earth with a conftant anti- 
cipation of the felicity of heaven. 



XXIV. 

A RICH WORLDLING. ■ 

How apt are many at the fight of a rich 
worldling to envy him for what he hath !— 
For my part, I rather pity him for what he 
wants. He hath a talent, but it wants im- 
provement ; he hath a lamp, but it wants 
oil; he hath a foul, but it wants grace ; he 
hath the flat, but he wants the fun ; he hath 
the creature, but he wants the creator. In 
his life he floats upon a torrent of vanity, - 
which empties itfelf into an ocean of vexa- 
tion. And after death this fentence is paffed 
upon him, Take ye the unprofitable fervant. 
End him hand and foot, and caft him into outer 
darknefs. Where now is the objeft of your 
envy ? It is not his filver that now will an- 
chor him, nor his gold that fhall land him, 

F nor M 



$8 A CHRISTIAN'S CHOICE. 



nor his friends that can comfort him. There* 
fore, if he be worth the envying, who is 
worth the pitying? If this be felicity, then, 
O Lord ! give me mifery. Rather make 
me poor with a good heart, than rich with 
a bad confcience. 



XXV. 

A CHRISTIAN'S CHOIC1, 

I am frail, and the world is fading ; but 
my foul is immortal, and God is eternal. If 
I pitch upon the creatures for a portion, ei- 
ther they may take wings like an eagle that 
flieth towards heaven, or my foul may take 
its way with the rich fool, and go down to 
hell. Butifl'chufe God for my portion, 
then goodnefs and mercy ihall follow me 
while I live, and glory and eternity lhall 
crown me when I die. I will, therefore, 
now leave that which I (hall foon lofe, that 
fo I may embrace that which I fhall always 
enjoy. 

Begone 



GOOD and BAD in this LIFE. 59 



Begone, ye gilded vanities, 

I feek the only Good ; 
To real blifs my wifhes rife, 

Thefaveur of my God* 

Grant, O my God, this one requeft* 

Oh, be thy Love alone 
My ample portion — here I reft, 

For heaven is in the boon. 

To this my wifhes are confined. 
To this my heart afpires ; 

A Good immortal as the mind, 
And vail as its defires. 



XXVL 

The GOOD and BAD in this LIFE. 

I fee the wicked have their heaven here, 
and their hell hereafter ; and that, on the 
contrary, good men have their hell here, and 
their heaven hereafter. The rich man had 
his good things in this life, and Lazarus his 
evihthings. But now Lazarus is comforted, 
and the rich man is tormented. I will not 
therefore envy the profperity of the wicked, 
F 2 nor 



€0 SPIRITUAL JOY and SORROW. 

nor be offended at the affii&ion of the righ- 
teous > feeing the one is drawn in pomp to 
hell j whilft the other fwims in tears to hea- 
ven. Make me bleffed by making me righ- 
teous, through thy grace, O Lord, my Re- 
deemer ! 



I faw the wicked great In power, . 

Spread like a green bay tree j 
He paff'd, yea, was not ^ him I fought, 

Eut found he could not be, 

But mark the man of righteoufnefs, 

His feveral Heps attend ; 
True pleafure runs thro* all his ways# 

And peaceful is his end* 



XXVIL 

SPIRITUAL JOY ani> SORROW- 

As there is a fad mirth, fo there is a joy- 
ful mourning. Look at the voluptuary. — 
Though laughter may appear in his face, yet 
fadnefs ever centers in his heart. His carnal 

delights 



SPIRITUAL JOY and SORROW. 61 



delights are not only vain but vexing. Like 
mufic, they play him into a melancholy fit. 
While the banquet lafts, the fenfualiit fings j 
but when the reckoning comes, his fpirit 
finks, and his fnining fun inftantly fets in a 
watery cloud. Solomon gives the fum of it 
thus ; Even in laughter the heart is for tow] Iti \ 
and the end of that mirth is -heavinefs. But, 
behold the penitent. As his tears ^re the 
joy of angels, .fo they are the joy of his heart, 
the folace of his foul. The falter his tears, 
the fweeter his comforts. The deeper his 
fighs, the fuller his joy. The beams of con- 
folation always fhine into his houfe of mourn- 
ing — See the Saviour of Tinners. Behold 
with what eafe and indulgence he receives 
the penitent woman. Scarcely had fhe be- 
gun to weep, fcarceJy had fhe touched the 
feet of Jefus Chrift with a little ointment, 
but he crowned her repentance, became her 
apologift, pardoned, during one moment of 
repentance, the exceffes of a whole life, and 
condefcended to acknowledge her for a mem- 
ber of his church. IVcman, thy fins are for- 
given thee ; thy faith hath faved thee \ Go vi 
peace. Therefore I may truly fay, that to 
F 3 mourn 



The SOUL's HAPPINESS. 



mourn for fin is to weep for joy. The pure 
and pleafant ftreams of confolation, which 
are the worldlings wonder, always come 
from a weeping fpring. Blejfed are they that 
mourn^for they /hall be comforted. Why then, 
is the mouth of wickednefs opened againfl 
the way of holinefs ? As if grace were the. 
tomb of joy, and impiety the parent of hap- 
pinefs. But if experience may be heard, my 
foul has felt both ; and I find fuch damps of 
fpirit in worldly pleafures, and fuch refrefh- 
inents of foul in the depth of godly forrow,, 
that I will efteem one drop of fuch fpiritual 
joy, better than an ocean of carnal mirth. 



XXVIII. 

The SOUL's HAPPINESS. 

Where thy happinefs lies, there lies thy. 
portion. If thou place thy happinefs in a. 
poor empty creature ;: if, with Judas, thy 
fpirit run fo low as to be content only to 
keep the bag j or, with Reuben, for fome 

worldly 



The SOUL's HAPPINESS. 5a 

worldly convenience, to quarter on this fide 
Jordan ; why, then, unworthy foul ! take 
that which is thine own, and go thy way,— - 
If thou wilt be put off with, a breath of ho- 
nour, ablaze of pleafure,, a fnare of riches* 
or a parcel of vanity, then go -take thy fill ; 
look for no more from God; Thou feed 
thine all when thou goeft from hence. Then 
farewell all. In the mean while remember 
this ; that when the breath fhall be expired, 
the blaze extinft, and the foul for ever en* 
fnared, thy eternity fhall hefpent in bewail- 
ing thy folly. But now, O precious foul I 
if thou place thy happinefs in thehighed ex- 
cellency, thy portion lies ia the chiefeft 
good. If it be thy happinefs now to behold 
the glory of God in the face of Jefus Chrifl y it 
fhall be thy portion, forever,, to behold the 
beauty of God's prefence in heaven. Since 
thou, O God of love ! had made me ca- 
pable of heavenly joys, I defire never to be 
put off with tranfitory vanities. My happi- 
nefs lies only in thyfeliV Therefore, what- 
ever I enjoy, befides thyfelf, I will take as a 
bleffing, but not as a portion. Myfoulthirfl- 
eih for thee y living God! when Jhall I come 

and 



64 SPIRITUAL DESIRES. ■_ 

and -appear before thee, my God? While I 
fojourn in the wildernefs, let my thirfting 
foul be daily .fatisfied with thofe fountains of 
joy that flow from the Rock of Ages ; and, 
after- my pilgrimage, let me be admitted to 
contemplate thy beauty which never fadeth, 
to be enriched with thy beneficence which 
can never be exhaufted, and to be blefled in 
thy unmerited, infinite, and everlafting love. 



, SPIRITUAL DESIRES-; . 

Irifatiable defires in temporals make a 
poor man in fpirituals, A true chriftian is 
only rich in outward things, when he is con- 
tented with what he enjoys. That man has 
nothing of heavenly thing?, who thirfleth 
not after more. Worldly defires always . 
leave us empty. Either we get not what 
we covet, or elfe we are not fatisfied w r ith 
what we obtain. But he that thirfteth after 
heavenly things, is always refreihed j and 

the 



SPIRITUAL DESIRES 65 



the more he receives the more he defires.— 
How prevailing is the prayer of faith ! This 
will fetch in the richeft, choiceft mercies 
that God can give. O how improving to 
the foul ; did we but divert the flream of 
our defires, and turn them heaven- ward, 
How many excellent mercies lie a-ground 5 
and only want this tide to bring them in* 
Why, then, do I allow my defires to run out 
in waile ? I do but make myfelf poor, thirft- 
ing after more of the world j whereas I 
might be rich, did I, with the apoftle PauJ, 
count all things but lofs for the excellency of the 
knowledge of Jefus Chriji. Blejfed are they 
that thirfi after his righteoufnefs, for they f hall 
be filled. O Lord! let the temptations, the 
cares, and the troubles of the world produce 
in my foul an ardent defire after the waters 
of eternal comfort.. 

I've feen thy glory and thy power 

Thro' all thy temple mine ^ 
My God repeat that heav'nly homy 

That vifion fo divine* 

Not all the bleffings of a feafl 

Can pleafe my foul fo well,. 
As when thy richer Grace I tafte r 

And in thy prefence dwell*. 

DECEITFUL 



*6 DECEITFUL RICHES. 



XXX. 

DECEITFUL RICHES. 

Ufually when a worldling dies, we afk-, 
haw rich he died? O, fey many, he died 
rich, he hath left a great eftate. Alas ! the 
poor man ha& fiept his fleep, hath loft his 
dream, and now that he awakes, he finds 
nothing of all that he pofieffed. Where 
now is his golden heap ? Only the duft of 
that heap is gone to witnefe againfl him. 
His mammon fails him ; only the unrigh- 
teoufnefs of it follows him. Others have the 
\ife of it ; only the abufe of it he carries to 
judgment with him. He hath made his 
friends, as we fay, but, alas! he hath un- 
done himfelf. Therefore I may juftly write 
this motto upon every bag— This is the price 
of blood. Shall I then treafure up the price 
of blood ? No : Jefus Chrift hath intruded 
me as a fteward. In order to engage me 
to be merciful and. liberal, he hath taught 
me to confider beneficence to my neighbours 
as one of the fureft evidences of love to him- 

felf. 



MISERY of the WICKED MAN. 67 

felf. He unites himfelf with the poor and 
the affii&ed. He clothes himfelf, as it were, 
with their miferies ; and he tells me, inas- 
much as. ye have done good to one of the leaji of 
thefe^ye have, done it unte.me* What a fub~ 
lime idea! From what a fund of love doth 
fuch % benevolent declaration proceed ! and 
at the fame time, what a motive to animate 
me to beneficence ! Therefore what I have, 
and need not, Jefus Chrift {hall have in his 
faints, who need andhave not. Thus, when 
the fading creatures fhall Hide away, they 
{hall not carry me with them ; but when I 
fhall pafs away, I fhall carry them with me. 



XXXI. 

MISERY of a WICKED MAN, 

What a miferable creature is a wicked 
man ? His very manna turneth to worms. 
His very mercies make him miferable. Be- 
hold him with a large eftate. Either he has 
not the benefit of enjoying it, but only the 

difquietude 



68 BOOK or CONSCIENCE. 

difquietude of keeping it ; or elfe, if he doth 
enjoy it, he fo miferably abufes it, that he 
makes that which, for ufe is temporal, for 
punifhment to be eternal. Alas ! the plea- 
fures of it are quickly gone; but the pain 
of it endureth in his foul for ever. Teach 
me, O God ! to improve thy mercies ; or 
elfe, thy mercies will but augment my mi- 
feries. 

When in the light of Faith divine 

We look on things below, 
Honour, and gold, and fenfual joy, 

How vain and dangerous too. 

God is mine all-fufEcient good^ 

My portion and my choice ; 
In him my vail defires are filTd, 

And all my powers rejoice* 



xxxir. 

BOOK of CONSCIENCE. 

Wouldeft thou know, O mortal ! whether 
thy name be written in the hook of life ? Why 
then, read what thou haft written in the 

book 



BOOK of CONSCIENCE. 6$ 

book of confcience. Thou needeft not afk 
who fhall afcend up into heaven, to fearch 
the records of eternity ? Thou mayeft but 
defcend into thv own heart, and there read 
what thou art, and what thou fhalt be. Tho f 
God's book of ele&ion be clofed as to thee, 
and kept above with himfelf j yet thy book 
of confcience is open, and kept below in thy 
very bofom ; and what thou writeft here, 
that thou fhalt be fure to find there. If I 
write nothing in this book but the black lines 
of fin^ I fhall find nothing in God's book 
but the red lines of damnation But if I 
write God's word in the book of con- 
fcience, I may be fure that God hath 
written my name in the book of life. At 
the day of judgment, when the book fhall 
be opened, I fhall read either the fweeteft or 
the fharpeft lines. I will therefore fo write 
here, that I may not be afhamed to read 
hereafter. Redeemer of my foul ! inftruct 
and lead, and guide me by thy word and 
fpirit, in the way of righteoufnefs, the way 

that 
G 



^0 The POWER of CONSCIENCE. 

that fhall bring me to thy holy bill, and the 
manfions of the juft in the new Jerufalem. 

O that the Lord would guide my ways 

To keep his ftatutes itill ! 
O that my God would grant me grace, 

To know and do his will ! 

O fend the Spirit down to write • 

Thy law upon my heart ! 
Nor let my tongue indulge deceit, 

Ner a& the liar's part. 

Order my footfteps by thy word, 

And make my heart fincere ; 
Let fin have no dominion, Lord, 

And keep my confcience clear. 



XXXIII. 

The POWER of CONSCIENCE. 

I heard thy voice, faid our guilty firft pa- 
rent, immediately after his fall, and I was a- 
fraid, and hid my f elf. When Jacob's fons 
were imprifoned in Egypt as fpies, they in- 
ftantly concluded, that this punifhment had 

befallen 



The POWER of CONSCIENCE, n 



befallen them as a juft reward of their guilt 
in felling their brother. When Belfhazzar 
fat at his feaft, and the hand appeared writing 
on the wall, as he was ignorant of what was 
written, he might have imagined it to be 
good, as readily as evil. Why,, of two 
fenfes, of which the writing was capable, did 
he imagine the worft ? Behold the folution- 
of this difficulty. Thefe fingers of a man's 
hand are not alone : the finger of God ac- 
companies them. The fubjeft is not only 
written on the wall of the royal palace ; but 
it is alfo infcribed on the heart of the king. 
His guilt is his interpreter. His eyes could 
not read the charafters, but his confcience 
knew how to explain them. Therefore was 
his countenance changed, and his thoughts 
troubled him,fo that the joints of his loins were 
locfed, and his knees f mote one againfi another. 
How natural was it for confcience to prefent 
the refle&ion to Herod, when he heard of 
Chrift's miraculous works, that it was John 
the Baptifl, whom he had beheaded, that had 
ar if en from the dead, and performed th of e won-. 
derful things! Confcience, then, may be 
lulled for a little ; but the mod trivial thing 
G 2 imaginable 



72 The POWER of CONSCIENCE. 

imaginable may awaken it. The wicked 
man has reafon to dread a dark night, a fo- 
litary fituation, an accidental expreffion, any 
common or uncommon incident. When 
Felix called for St. Paul, he intended no- 
thing but a little entertainment j but before 
he rofe, how jufl reafon had he to fay, as A- 
hab faid to Elijah, haft thou found ?ne, mine 
enemy ? For, as he reafoned of righteoufnefs, 
temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled. 
The happinefs of the wicked may be com- 
pared to fo many figures, in the fand — the 
wave no fooner comes to the place where 
they afe, than they are razed. By our om- 
nipotent Creator, confcience is placed within 
our breafts, as our ruling faculty. It erects 
its tribunal there, and accufes, judges, ac- 
quits, or condemns. Howirrefiftible is its 
power ! Who ever exalted himfelf againft 
it and profpered ? Or, what colour of life is 
fo black and difmal as that, where a man is 
at enmity with his own mind ? Alas, how 
little do men reflect, when engaged in cri- 
minal purfuits, that the pleafures of fm, in 
which they riot, are one day to become hi- 
deous ghofts to difturb their repofe, to fcare 

the 



A GOOD CONSCIENCE. 73 

imagination, to harrow up the foul, to ac- 
cufe them at the tribunal of God, to be their 
tormentors for ever ! Father of mercies ! let 
my confcience be fprinkled with the blood 
of Jefus ; and let the Holy Spirit dwell in 
me, and raife me to the imitation of Saint 
Paul, and to the joy of his experience, when 
he faid — herein do I exercife myfelf^ to have 
always a good confcience void of offence, toward 
God and toward men. 



XXXIV, 

A GOOD CONSCIENCE, 

Confcience imports a rule to walk by, 
and a conformity between the rule and the 
action. And what is this rule? It is the 
law of God, the fcriptures of the old and 
new teftaments. Thefe are given to direft 
both our faith and our pra&ice. If we fol- 
low their directions, we are fecure from er- 
ror, and cannot do amifs. To have a good , 
confcience, then,, is to aft knowingly and 
G 3 conformably 



74 A GOOD CONSCIENCE. 

conformably according to the rule of the di- 
vine word. To have a confcience void of 
offence towards God and man, is to know 
that we are of the truth, by keeping the com- 
mandments of revelation ; the command- 
ments of repentance towards God, and of faith 
towards Jefus Chrift ; the precept of love 
to God and to man ; the precept of render- 
ing to all their dues ; the command- 
ments of kindnefs to relatives, of gratitude 
to thofe who have done us good, of ju- 
flice in all our dealings, of helping our fel- 
low creatures in safes of neceffity, and of 
making reparation, as far as we are able, to 
thofe whom we have wilfully injured. I 
will always appeal to the teftimony of Jefus 
Chrift. I will always beware of indulging 
thofe offences which fome call little fins. I 
will frequently ftate accounts between God 
and my confcience, and inquire what fins I 
have committed, and what duties I have 
done or omitted O God of grace ! crown 
my refolutions, and, for Jefus' fake, give me 
the Spirit, the applier and the fandifier, to 
fprinkle my confcience with the blood of a- 
tonement, and to purge it from dead works, 
Uferve the living Cod. thank- 



THANKFULNESS for FREEDOM. 



XXXV. 
THANKFULNESS for FREEDOM ^/CONSCIENCE* 

How grateful fhould we be that our con- 
ferences have the rule of God's word to re- 
gulate them ! How readily and cheerfully 
fhould we embrace this word for our coun- 
fellor and our Jong in the houje oj our pilgrU 
mage ! How thankful fhould w r e be, that our 
nation is delivered from oppreffions of con- 
science ! Let us never forget our deliverance 
from Papal tyranny, by the late glorious re- 
volution, and the Proteftant fucceffion* Had 
it not been for thefe providences, our land 
might ftill have been filled with fuperftition, 
and our confeiences fettered with penalties 
of imprifonment and poverty, of torment 
and death. Awake, O our hearts, and let 
our tongues fing fongs of praife and falva- 
tion, that we are not now tempted or com- 
pelled to difgrace the religion of Jefus by 
impofitions on our confeiences. And, in the 
midft of our praifes to God, let us pity our 
brethren who dwell in midft of thefe tempta- 
tions ; 



A GOOD NAME. 



tions ; and, in the language of chriftian 
fympathy, let us lift up a groan to heaven for 
them and fay, how long, Lord, how long ! 
Let it always be one of our fupplications at 
the throne of gj;ace, that all impofitions up- 
on- confcience, and al! perfecution for right- 
teoufnefs fake, may fpeedily terminate, and 
he revived no more ; and that integrity and 
virtue, that juftice, liberty, and happinefs, 
that pure and undefiled religion before God, 
even the Father, and primitive chriftianity, 
in its native fimplicity and glory, may uni^ 
verfally prevail ! 



XXXVI. 
A GOOD NAME. 



A good name is founded on the faith and 
holinefs of the gofpel ; or on living as we 
believe, honeftly and ufefully. It is an imi- 
tation of the moral perfections of God, as 
they are difplayed in the works of nature* 
providence, and grace, and exerted for the 

interefls ; 



A GOOD NAME. 17 



interefts of mankind. It is this alone which 
can fix a man's reputation, and fecure his 
title to a good name. That falfe applaufe, 
which proceeds from worldly riches and ho- 
nour, comes no nearer to a good name, than 
a fhadow to a fubftance, or a hypocrite to a 
faint. But who is to rear the fuperftru&ure ? 
Not the impure and profane, but the gene- 
rality of fober, confcientious perfons. And 
how great is the advantage of a good re- 
port ! // k better than great riches. It is 
more eligible than thofe fickle poffeffions, 
which fo often cheat their owners, and make 
themfehes wings and fly away. It curbs and 
awes thofe very villains, whom full bags and 
crouded coffers fo frequently tempt to thefts 
and robberies. The pleafures and enjoy- 
ments on earth depend upon a good name ; 
and life itfelf is a burden without it. Friend- 
fhip and correfpondence are cemented by it ; 
and trade and commerce rife and fall by its 
influence. The greateft villains will truft a 
man of fair reputation, in the moft impor- 
tant concerns of life, when they are fufpi- 
cious of perfons of their own character. A 
good name is the beft fecurity to an honor- 
able 



™ A GOOD NAME. 



able title, and the moil: lading entail of a 
virtuous man's patrimony. A good name 
is an ample provifion for our family ; and, 
like feed fown in the earth, will fpring up 
and ield a plentiful harveft, when we are 
gathered to our fathers. For what incredible 
civilities do children meet with on account 
of their parents ! And how fignally are the 
fucceeding generations bleffed and diftrn- 
guifhed for the renown and virtues of their 
ancefiors ! How does their fubflance lad,, 
and their offspring flourifh ! How do their 
memories revive, . their virtues propagate r 
their examples enlighten, and their good 
deeds refrefh pofterity ! Beiides, a good 
name contributes to the revival and efla- 
blifhment of true religion. They who fin- 
cerely and openly exercife the grace and the 
virtue that eitablifh a good reputation, con- 
vince gain-fayers of the fuperior excellence 
of the principles of the gofpel, put tofilence 
the ignorance of wicked men r Jhame them that 
falfely accufe their good converfation y and, by 
the luftre of their good works, bring them 
to glorify their heavenly Father, Next to a 
good confcience, therefore, I will be careful 

to 



GOOD COMPANY. 7* 



to acquire and to preferve a good reputation. 
For this end I will keep my Redeemer's 
words, and lay up his commandments within 
me ; I will wear them upon my confcience, 
and tie them about my neck ; I will bind them 
upon my fingers i and write them on the table of 
my heart. May the Eternal Spirit crown 
my refolutions. — Amen. 



XXXVII. 
GOOD COMPANY. 

He that walketh with wife menjhall be wife, 
is a maxim which is always verified. Haft 
thou, O man, already attained the prize of 
fpiritual wifdom ? The company of good 
mea will be the ftrongefi guard and fecurity 
to thy poffeffions. If thou art only in queft 
of it, the fame religious fociety will facilitate 
thy undertaking ; the fame wholefome di- 
rections will conduft th in the paths of 
chriftian virtue* Haft thou imbibed preju- 
dices 



so GOOD COMPANY. 

dices by education, and ill habits by a vi- 
cious neighbourhood ? Good company will 
difpel ignorance, reform nature, refine thy 
conceptions, and fublimate thy paflions. — 
How immenfe is the happinefs to wait upon 
the inftru&ion of the wife, who are ever anx- 
ious and diligent to recall the lofijheep, to 
reclaim the wanderers from the fold, and to 
infufe better principles, and clearer notions 
into the ignorant and feduced. Certainly 
the inftru&ion of fuch company adminijiers 
grace to the hearers, and is attended with all 
the circumftances of delight and profit. It 
is a fait which never lofes its favour ', nor 
grows infipid by ufe and repetition It is a 
tafle of the joys of heaven, whilft we fo- 
journ here upon earth, It is a near refem- 
blance to the communion of faints in blifs, an 
imperfect admiffion to the general ajfembly and 
church of the frfl-born, and an imitation of 
the happy converfe and fociety of the fpirits 
cfju/itnen made perfect. But he who afibci- 
ates w 7 ith good company fhall become w 7 ife 
by their example, as well as by their inflruc- 
f.ion. By a good example they exhibit vir- 
tue animated ; and thereby kt off religion 

to 



GOOD COMPANY, 61 

to the life in all its fweetnefs and attra&ives j 
not in the dull letter of rules and precepts, 
but in the commanding light and heat of 
action, and in all the efficacious motives of 
love and obedience. There is fomething in 
the example of a pious and virtuous man, 
which does affefl; me whether I will or not ; 
and I can never appear in his prefence, but 
the comelinefs of his a&ions compels my re- 
fpeft and veneration. His very looks are 
laws, his fmiles are rewards, and his frowns 
are punifhments. Difpofe me, O God, to 
make thy faints, the excellent of the earth, 
the men of my counfel. Enable me to con- 
vince and convert the fmner, and to edify 
and comfort the faint by my inftrudtions and 
example. O let it appear in the day of ac- 
count, that I ufed my piety upon earth, as 
an inftrument of thy grace to enlarge thy 
kingdom. 



Thy mercies fill the earth, O Lord, 
How good thy works appear ! 

Open mine eyes to read thy word, 
And fee' thy wonders there, 

H 



Since 



82 EVIL COMPANY. 

Since I'm a flranger here below, 
Let not thy path be hid -, 

But mark the road my feet mould go, 
And be my con riant guide. 

When I have learnt my Father's will, 
I'll teach the world his ways ; 

My thankful lips,, infpir'd with zeal, 
Shall loud pronounce his praife. 



XXXVIIL 

EVIL C O M P A N Y. 



Solomon collected from long experience, 
from careful observation, and from the 
courfe of Providence, not only that he that 
walketh with wife men Jhall be wife ; but that 
a companion of fools Jhall be deflroyed. How 
deplorable is the effect of bad company on 
the body ! What is it that brings trembling 
into the hands, and rottennefs into the bones? 
What is it that convulfes the head and fhocks 
the heart ! What is it that fires the blood 
and impairs the memory ? What, but the 
allurements of loofe companions? Allure- 



ments, 



EVIL COMPANY. 83 



ments, alas, which /ww cajidown many wound- 
ed, andflain manyjirong. Evil company de- 
ftroys the reputation. Can I affociate with 
heretics, and be accounted orthodox ? Or 
with drunkards, and be accounted fober and 
temperate ? Or with the profane and the"im- 
pure, and be accounted pious and holy ? — 
No. Spectators will argue from practices 
to principles, and think, of necefiity, that I 
am fuch a one as my companions. — But a 
companion of foe h will alfo ruin his eftate. 
Such fools are always idle, as to their inte- 
reft ; and idlenefs is the parent of want and 
of pain, Can that eflate remain long with the 
proprietor, who is always taking from it but 
never adding to it ? Bad company corrupts 
both the mind and the manners. How of- 
ten do we fee the felicitations of company 
deface the impreffions of a virtuous educa- 
tion ; and integrity borne down by the ex- 
amples of debauched men ! This is a natural 
confequence. For how can modefiy be 
learned from impudence ; or temperance 
from debauchery ; or reverence for an oath, 
from a profane and cuftomary fwearer ? 
This were to bring light from darknefs, or to 
H 2 gather 



H EVIL COMPANY. 



gather grapes from t herns ^ or figs from thifUes. 
But the laft and mod miferable effeft of bad 
company is the Iofs of the foul. This is a 
his fo great, that the gain of the whole world 
cannot compenfate for it j much lefs can 
the frothy delights of a filthy converfation, 
and the furfeits and exceffes of fenfual plea- 
fure. How certain is this iofs ! Grace ceafes 
to ftrive any longer with the repeated obfti- 
nacy of a vitiated mind. The devil having 
entered, now keeps pofieilion, guards againfl 
the returns of virtue, and fills the diftra&ed 
mind with anguifh and defpair. What tra- 
gical outcries do we hear from fots and rakes 
towards the clofe of life ! What bitter com- 
plaints of mifpending time and neglefting 
opportunities ! What doleful exclamations 
againft the ways of the world, and the arti- 
fices of feducers ! Bad company is the ge- 
neral plea of malefactors, the dying fpeech 
at an execution, and the laft warning to fur- 
viving fpeftators. It is the anguifh and tor- 
ment of a fick-bed, and the lamentation of 
an expiring finner j the fore-runner of judg- 
ment, and 'the earned of damnation. O 
thou lover of fouls 5 and preferver of men I 

enable 



PRUDENT COUNSEL. SB 

enable me fo to number my days, and to re- 
gulate my life, that I may apply my heart 
to that holy and religious wifdom, which will 
teach me to avoid the felicitations of bad 
company in this world, and to enjoy the fo- 
cietv of faints and angels in another. 



With my whole heart I've fought thy face, 

O let me never flray 
From thy commands, O God of grace, 

Nor tread the rmner's way. 

Q hide thy word within my heart 

To keep my confcience clean^ 
J-^d be an everlafting gnard 

From every riling fifiu 



XXXIX. 
PRUDENT COUNSEL.. 

For a creature of man's rank and quality* 
to be occupied in trifles, and to lie grovel- 
ling in fenfuality ; for the heir apparent of 
immortal life to be always purfuing the 
H 3 paths 



86 PRUDENT COUNSEL, 

paths of death and deftruction, and for the 
image of God's own eternity to look no higher 
than this dirty world, and to feaft his ima- 
ginations with fiefh and fenfe ; this, this is 
a difgrace to his extraction, a contradiction 
to the end of his being, and an abufe of his 
Creator's favours- Look carefully to thy- 
felf and (land upon thy privileges, O man ! 
and be always cultivating and adorning that 
better part, which will make thee as wife as 
an angel here, and happy as thy God here- 
after. Leave ignoble purfuits to meaner 
fpirits, and the enjoyments of the earth to 
fenfe and brutality. Remember that thy 
buiinefs upon earth is knowledge and reli- 
gion ; the kmzvledge cf Jefus Chriji and him 
crucified ; the improvement of thy mind by 
penetrating thoughts arid fuhlime fpecula- 
tions ; and the cpndud of thy life, by a re- 
gular faith and an univerfal practice. Do 
not forget, that thy gifts are for exercife, and 
thy talents for improvement j that grace is 
to be ftrengthened'^ and every virtue aug- 
mented ; that proper opportunities- are to 
be embraced, and thy rational faculties duly 
tempered and rightly applied. O thou can- 
didate 



PRUDENT COUNSEL. 87 



dadate of wifdom, thou fcholar of the gof- 
pel 1 thou- hale an entertaining proipeci- be- 
fore thine eyes, a fruitful foil to employ thy 
hands, and a plentiful harveft to crown thy 
labours.. Say unto heavenly wifdom thou art 
myjijier^ and call the underfcanding of the gof 
pel thy kinjivoman. When thou gvef Jhe Jhall 
lead thee ; when thou fieepefz* Jhe jhall keep 
fhee\ and when thou awakef, Jhe Jhall talk 
with thee. O rapturous companion !: O in- 
ft'ru&ive conyerfation ! Who would not at- 
tend fuch an honourable levee ? Or, who 
would not travel under the protection of this 
guardian angel? Who would linger in a 
fultry and barren wildernefs, and be en- 
tangled with the briars and thorns of fin, 
when the pleafing; fcenes of paradife are 
opened, to- his. view, and truth, and love, and 
happinefs look fmiling- down from heaven ?■ 
yefimple, under/land wifdom. Receive her 
inftrufltions as filver, O ye erroneous, and 
value her corrections more than choice gold, 
tajle and fee how gracious the Lord is. Ma- 
nage your reafon, and cultivate your virtues ; 
keep your lamps burning, and your veffeis 
fuppliecl with oil. Enliven your faith by 

practice, 



83 The PRUDENT CHOICE. 

practice, and walk with God, whilft you fo- 
j our n here upon earth. Shew your com- 
munion with faints and angels by the exer- 
cifes of heaven, and the employment of the 
bleffed above. Anticipate your joys in de- 
vout meditations j and bring down heaven to.< 
earth in the fervour of.' prayer, and in. the 
rapture of praifes, 



XL.. 
The PRUDENT CHOICE. 

But one thing is needful : and Mary hath 
chofen that good pari , which Jh all not be taken : 
away from her. While Martha was careful 
and troubled about many things ^ Mary, in- 
tent on the falvation of her foul, fat at Jefus* 
feet,aiid received with reverence thofe oracles 
of truth which dropped from his facred lips, . 
She heard with a joyful heart, and obeyed - 
with a willing mind. . The option was pru- - 
dent, and the benefit valuable ; the happi- 
nefs fuitable, and the enjoyment fatisfa&ory 

and 



The PRUDENT CHOICE, S3 



and lading. O bleffed were thcfe ears, ia 
which the voice of the heavenly falutation 
founded, and that heart into which the 
words of truth and falvation defcended. O 
bleffed are they who go and do likewife — 
Bleffed are they who put on the righteouf- 
nefs of CJhriit for a breaft-plate, and the gar- 
ments of falvation for a clothing ; who pro* 
vide bags which wax not old to receive 
their fubftance, and adorn the inner man 
w r ith the goodly habiliments of love and hu- 
mility. Theirs is the good portion that 
(hall never be 'taken from them. Whereas 
the titles of the noble (hall be erafed, and 
the veflments of the proud fhall be moth- 
eaten ; whereas the filver of the mifer fliall 
be rufted, and the gold of the oppreflor fliall 
be cankered ; the tfeafure of the righteous 
(hall be durable in heaven, and neither moth 9 
nor rujl, nor canker fhall corrupt it, nor 
thieves, nor ruffians break through tojleal it 
away. What is it then, ye children of men, 
that you are, or can be felicitous about, in 
this tranfitory world ? Would you raife e-- 
ftates, or purchafe renown ? Alas ! What is 
a name, when ye are going into a land where 

all 



SO The PRUDENT CHOICE. 

all things are forgotten ? What are eftates, 
when ye mud be flripped of them in a mo- 
ment,, and forced, without their affiftance, 
to travel naked and defencelefs into an un- 
known country ? Therefore, let not preju* 
dice pervert your minds, and fin confound 
and obliterate the notions- of mifery andhap- 
pinefs. But turn to the flron% bcIiJ, ye prifih 
tiers of hope. Believe in the Lord Jefus Chrijl 
and ye jhall be faved. Entruft your fouls* 
your all, in his hands. Then yours is the 
kingdom of heaven ; yours are all things ; for 
ye are Chrjl's, and Chrijl is God's. Vifit me r 
Lord! with thy fa hat ion; and lead me in 
the way everlafing. 

O happy is the man who hears 

Inftru&iorfs warning voice \ 
And who celeltial wifdom makes- 

His ear ly, only choice I 

For me has treafures greater far 

Than eaft or welt unfold - 7 
And her rewards more precious are 

Than all their ftores of gold,. 



DEATH, 91 



XLL 
DEATH. 



Nothing is fo fare as death, and nothing 
fo uncertain as time. In effect, what is 
death ? I coniider it, firft, as a fhipwreck, in 
,which our fortunes, titles, and dignities are 
Loft. Next, I confider it as the time of ex- 
amination and judgment. The moment of 
death is a fatal period, in which are united 
the excefies of our youth, the diffractions of 
our manhood, the avarice of our old age, 
our pride, our ambition, our impurity, our 
covetoufnefs, our treacheries, our perjuries, 
our calumnies, our blafphemies, our hike- 
warmnefs, our profanations. All thefe 
crimes will form one black cloud, heavy and 
hanging ready to burfl: on our head.. 

How fhali fmners be protected ? Only by 

She Jhield of faith. Where fhall they be fafe 

and fecure from thofe crimes ? Only in the 

city cf refuge. Only under a Redeemer's 

wings. How fnall they reach that refuge ? 

By 



92 DEATH. 

By committing their fouls to him, who hath 
fwallovjed up death in victory ; and who hath 
faid, Come unto me, all ye who labour and are 
heavy laden, and I will give you reft. 

Merciful Father ! Let the blood of the 
Lamb, which the exterminating angel will 
refpeft, be fprinkled on my confcience. Let 
that invaluable facrifi.ee, which Jefus Chrift 
offered up to thee in my behalf, cleanfe me 
from all my guilt" and deliver me from all 
my fears. O thou great High Pried of the 
new covenant ! bear me engraven on thy 
breaft, now that thou art entered into the 
holieft of all ; and bring me, at death, into 
thy kingdom.— Nothing is fo fure as death, 
and nothing fo uncertain as time. I may be 
too old to live ; I can never be too young to 
die. I will, therefore, live every hour as if 
I were to die the next. BleJJed are the dead 
that die in the Lord. 

If fin be pardon'd, I'm fecure, 

Death hath no fting befide ; 
The law gives fin its damning power ; 

But Chrift, my ranfom, dy'd* 

Now, to the God of victory* 

Immortal thanks be paid, 
Who makes us conqu'rors when we die, 

Thro' Chrift our living Head. 

STATE 



The STATE or a MAN at DEATH. 93 



XLII. 

STATE of a MAN at DEATH. 

As the tree falleth, fo it lieth ; and where 
death flrikes down, there God lays out, ei- 
ther for mercy or for mifery. Therefore I 
may compare death to the Red Sea. If I 
go in an Ifraelite, my landing fliall be in 
glory, and my joy triumphant. The fea 
fhall overwhelm mine enemies. But if I go 
in an Egyptian ; if I be on this fide the cove- 
nant j and yet go in hardened among the 
troops of Pharoah — juftice fhall return in its 
full ftrength and an inundation of judgment 
(hall overflow my foul for ever. Or elfe, I 
may compare death to the fleep of the ten 
virgins, of w r hom it is faid they JIumbered 
and Jlept. We Jhall all be overtaken with 
the fleep of death. Now, if I flumber with 
the wife, i (hall go in with the Bridegroom. 
But if I fleep with the foolHh, without oil in 
ray lamp, without grace in my foul, then I 
have fhut the gates of mercy againft my foul 
forever. This life, then, is the only time 
I wherein 



94 LIFE and DEATH. 

wherein I muft prepare to meet the Lord. 
Life is the hour in which I muft do my 
work ; and death the day in which I mud 
be judged according to my works. I know 
not how foon I may fall into this fleep. — 
Therefore, O Lord, my righteoufnefs! enable 
me always to live in fuch a manner, that I 
may, at death, give in my account with joy. 



XLIIL 

SMALL SPACE between LIFE and DEATH, 

What is faid of the mariner, in refpect to 
his fliip, namely, that he always fails within 
four inches of death, may be faid of the foul, 
in relation to the body, that it is always 
within a few inches of eternity. If the fhip 
fplits, the failor finks. If our earthen vefifels 
break, the foul is gone- — is plunged for ever 
into the bottomlefs fea, and banklefs ocean 
of eternity. Over that foul, therefore, I 
defire to weep ; even the foul that fhall pre- 
pofteroufly launch into the deep, without 

knowing 



LIFE and DEATH. ; 9$ 

knowing whether it ihall fink or fwim. — • 
Youthful fouls * your time is fhort and un- 
certain ; at the ftrongeft it is frail. Devote 
the ineftimable days you enjoy to your fal- 
vation. Aged people ! ye have already one 
foot in the grave. Be fare, therefore, that 
ye have your hearts and your treafure in 
heaven. Teach me, O God of love, teach 
me to confider the economy of time in 
its true point of view. Teach me to compare 
things which are feen 5 which are temporal, 
with things which are not feen, which are 
eternal. Enable me to fix my attention upon 
the eternity, to fill my imagination with 
the glory, of the world to come ; and to 
learn, by juft notions of immortality, to efti- 
mate the prefent life, the declining jhadow, 
the withering grafs^ihe fading flower, the dream 
that flieth away, the vapour that "vanijheih, 
£nd is irrecoverably loft. Let me feel my 
foul ftrengthened as my body decays j and, 
when my houfe of clay falls, may the gate of 
heaven open to receive me. 



Well, 

I * 



THOUGHTLESS MORTALS. 



We!!, if ye muft be fad and few, 
Run on, my days, in hafte j 

Moments of sin and months of woe, 
Ye cannot fly too fail. 

Let hcavnly love prepare my foul, 
And call her to the ikies, 

Where years of long falvation roll, 
And glory never dies. 



XLIV, 

THOUGHTLESS MORTALS. 

It was a fad fpeech of a dying king, Ngii- 
dumctfpi vivere^jam cogor Vivendi jinem fa- 
cere ; i.-e. Alas ! I tmft now die before I be- 
gin to live. It is the fad condition of many 
dying men, that their work is to do when 
their hour is come. When the enemy is in 
the gate, their weapons are to look for* 
When death is at the door, their faith and 
holinefs are to feek. When the bridegroom 
is come, their oil is to buy. The avenger 
of blood is upon them, and the city of refuge 



THOUGHTLESS MORTALS. 97 



is not fo much as thought of by them. In 
a word, the feven years of plenty are wafted, 
and there is no provifion laid up for the 
years of famine. Time is fpent, and there 
is nothing laid up for eternity. I will, there- 
fore, finilh. every work I have to do, that to 
die may be the lail work I have to finifli. 
Grant, O my God, of thine infinite mercy, 
through Jefus Chrift, that this may be my 
bleiled attainment. Teach my hands to urar y 
and my fingers to fight. Draw me 9 and Ijhall 
run after thee, Kindle my devotion at the 
inextinguiihable flame of thy love. Let the 
veil which covers eternity, infenfibly with- 
draw^ and let the bed of death be transform- 
ed into a field of victory. 

O may the grave become to me 

The bed of peaceful reft, 
Whence I ihall gladly rife at length* 

And mingle with the bleft, 



EVANGELICAL 



MAXIMS. 



XLV. 
EVANGELICAL and CARNAL MAXIMS. 

The carnal world publifhes thefe maxims — 
Charity begins at home ; Youth is a feafon 
of pleafure ; Time fhould be killed ; We 
fhould not afpire at faintfhip; Slander is the 
fait of con venation ; We muft do as ether 
people do; A man cf honour fhould not put 
up with an affront ; A gentleman ought to 
avenge himfelf ; Provided we commit no 
great crimes we fufficiently anfwer our cal- 
ling; Impurity is intolerable in a woman, but 
it is very pardonable in a man ; Human 
frailty excufeth the greateft exceffes ; It is 
impoffible to be perfect. The gofpel preach- 
eth differently — Love thy neighbour as thy- 
{elf j Flee youthful paffions; Redeem the time ; 
Be holy a? God is holy j Revilers fhall not 
Inherit the kingdom of God ; Be not con- 
formed to the w r orld ; Thou fhalt not follow 
a multitude to do evil ;• Abftain from the very 
appearance of evil ; Avenge not your- 
felves $ Strive to enter in at the ftrait gate ; 

Confefs 



MAXIMS. §9 



Confefs Jefus Chrift before men ; Practice 
whatfoever things are pure, and whatfoever 
conftitute virtue; Your bodies are the mem- 
bers of Chrift, the temples of the Holy 
Ghoft, and it is a crime to make them the 
members of an harlot; There is no concord 
between Chrift and Belial; No man can ferve 
two mafters ; Be ye perfeft as your father in 
heaven is perfect. This evil, impudent age 
preferreth the morality of the world to the 
morality of Chrift, and accounts it the great- 
eft lhame to be afhamed of fin. I defire to 
think and to aft otherwife. Author and fi- 
niflier of my faith ! render me invulnerable 
by the maxims of an evil world. Open my 
mind incefiantly to contemplate thy virtues j, 
and incline my will to a ftrid imitation. 



I'm not afham'd to own my Lord,. 

Or to defend his caufe, 
Maintain the honour of his crofs, 

And honour all his laws. 

Jefus, my Lord I I know his name, 

His name is all my boaft; 
Nor will he put my foul to fhame, 

Nor let my hope be loft, 

SUPERIORITY 



I oo SUPERIORITY of RELIGION. 



XLI\ r . 

SUPERIORITY of RELIGION for PRESENT 
SUPPORT. 



Worldling ! thou who derideft to fee a 
chriftian. melting at the word of God, and 
trembling at a fin ! Then who gloried fo 
much, becaufe thou canft drown confidence 
and outface iniquity 1 Thou art of a bale 
and cowardly fpirit. Let but a little fick- 
iiefe impair thy health, or the thoughts of 
dying charge upon thy fpirit ; and what 
quick retreatings are there from thy bold re- 
folutions t What heavinefs clouds thy looks ! 
What terrors (hake thy joints ! What fad- 
nefs finks thy heart ! So that a fancy frights 
thee, a fhadow ftartles thee ; Nabal-like, thy 
fpirits die, and fink within thee like a Jione. 
But mark the righteous man,. He has no 
achings of heart, or forebodings of con- 
fcience ; no dread of privacy, or fear of him* 
felf; no refort to his bottle for eafe, or to 
company for protection, He can retire 
peaceably into his own bread, and find the 

greateft 



SUPERIORITY of RELIGION. JCi 



greateft calm and ferenity within himfelf. 
He paffes through the valley of tears with 
cheerfulnefs and intrepidity. Not even the 
king of terrors can appal him, or hell itfelf 
affright him, And why ? He {lands upon 
a rock : That rock is Jefus Chrift ; whofe 
power to protect is infinite j whofe goodnefs- 
to reward is unbounded ; whofe wifdom to 
guide is unerring ; and whofe friendship to 
love is unchangeable. Standing by faith on 
this rock, the chriftlan is more than a con- 
queror over all his enemies, He triumphs 
in thefe accents — deathl where is thy fling? 
grave ! where is thy vidory ? Thanks be to 
God who giveth me the victory 9 through "Jefus 
Chrijl) my Lord. Therefore, vain world ! 
jeer on. For my part, I hold it better to 
fear while God threatens, than to fall when 
God judged** 



DANGEROUS 



102 DANGEROUS CURIOSITY. 



XLVII. 

DANGEROUS CURIOSITY. 

Be not curious to fearch into the fecrets of 
God. Pick not the lock where he hath al- 
lowed no key. He that will be fitting every 
cloud, may be fmitten with a thunderbolt \ 
and he that will be too familiar with the fe- 
cret things of God, may be overwhelmed 
in his judgments. Adam would curioufly 
increafe his knowledge ; therefore he (hame- 
fully loft his perfe&ion and happinefs. The 
Bethfhemites would pry into the ark of God ; 
therefore the hand of God flew above fifty 
thoufand of them. The fun and the fire fay 
of themfelves. Come not too near. How 
much more the light \ unto which none can ap- 
proach ! Even in thofe works of God, where 
our knowledge is moil perfeQ:, we meet with 
a height and a depth which the line of finite 
understanding cannot fathom ; we expatiate 
in a region which (till difclofes new fcenes 
of wonder j we feel ourfelves at once invited 

and 



DANGEROUS CURIOSITY. f 05 

H l ' lllB t l I M t»M»aMBK lMgTlrMB^~ I ^ IM lll llWW<*B«««MEII « MH i r H II T 1 1 —1 1 H I HT1 I I III II I U n winn iiili i.i» 1 

and checked, attracted and repelled ; we 
behold much that we can comprehend and 
explain, but much more that paiTeth know- 
ledge ; we find ourfelves, like Mofes at the 
bufh, upon holy ground; and the fame won- 
derful fight is exhibited to our view, Jeho- 
vah ! in a Same of fire, wfiofe light irradi- 
diates and encourages our approach, but 
whofe fervent heat arrefts our fpeed, and re* 
mands us to our proper diftance, There- 
fore I will not hover about the flame, left I 
fcorch my wings ; and, feeing God hath 
made me his Secretary, 1 will carefully im- 
prove myfelf by what he hath revealed, and 
not curioufly fearch and enquire into or after 
what he hath referved. Spirit of light and 
love ! lead me in the way to that better 
world, where I fliall for ever enjoy the per- 
fection of knowledge,, 

Here all our gifts imperfect are, 

But better days draw nigh, 
When perfect light mall pour its rajsj 

And all thofe ihadows fly. 

Like children here we fpeak and think 3 

Amus'd with childifh toys 3 
But when our pow'rs their manhood reach, 

Weil fcorn our prefent joys. 

New 



104 The WORLDS IGNORANCE. 

Now dark and dim, as thro' a glafs, 
Are God and truth beheld ; 

Then fhall we fee, as face to face, 
And God fliail be unveil'd. 



XLV1II. 
The WORLDS IGNORANCE. 

The nearer the moon draws into conjunc- 
tion with the fun, the brighter it fhines to- 
wards the heavens, and the obfcurer it fhews 
towards the earth. Thus, the nearer the 
foul draws into communion with the Sun of 
righteoufnefs, the comelier it is in his fight, 
and the blacker and darker it appears to the 
world. He that is a precious chriftian to 
the Lord, is a precife puritan to the world. 
He that is glorious to a heavenly foul, is 
odious to an earthly fpirit. How can the 
world judge otherwife ? For the carnal mind 
is enmity to God, and cannot poffibly dif- * 
cern the things of God. It is therefore a 
fign that thou art an Egyptian, when the 

cloud, 



The WORTH of a CHRISTIAN. 105 



cloud, that is a light to an Ifraelite, is dark- 
nefs to thee. It is a fign that thou moved 
in a terredrial orb, and only grovelled on the 
earth, when thou feed no ludre in fuch ce- 
ledial lights — th$ faints, who always reflect 
the rays of the Sun that enlightens them. 
For my part, if I fhine to God, I care not 
how I fhew to the world ; I difregard its 
opinion. At the fame time, I will always be 
dudious to make the light of my religion 
allure, if poffible, and induce others to glorify 
my Father in heaven. O God ! grant me 
this grace, through Jefus Chrid. 



XLIX. 
ThIs WORTH of a CHRISTIAN. 

Surely it does not appear to the world 
what chriftians are. For, did it know they 
are God's jewels, the favourites of heaven, 
the excellency of the creation, the beloved 
of jefus Chrid, it would. not mock and per* 
fecute them in the way it doth. And it 
K hardly 



106 The WORTH of a CHRISTIAN. 



hardly appears to Chriftians themfelves what 
they (hall be, For did they but know in 
themfelves, with the affurance of faith, by 
the witneffing of the Holy Ghoft, that they 
fhall be glorified together with Chrift ; that 
their happinefs fhall be like his happinefs ; 
that their joys fhall be like his joys ; that 
their glories fhall be like his glories ; truly 
they would not be fo much deje&ed as they 
often are. When I confider, that my life 
is hid with Chrift in God, I wonder not to 
fe€ the world hate me. But when I confi- 
der, that, when Chrift fhall appear ■, I fhall be 
like him 9 l wonder that it doth fo much as once 
trouble me. While heaven and earth, God 
and the world, endeavour to gain my foul, 
fhall I alone continue ignorant ? Shall I a- 
lone remain ignorant of my own worth ? 
No. I will learn by thy teachings, O thou 
Spirit of truth ! to know my ow 7 n excellence, 
to triumph over flefh and blood, to trample 
the world beneath my feet, to go from con- 
quering to conquer. Lead me to this know- 
ledge and to this refolution. Aid me to 
continue in the faith, and to redouble my 
believing vigour at the approach of death, 

PROSPERITY 



The WICKED not ENVIABLE. 1 07 



L. 

PROSPERITY of the WICKED not ENVIABLE. 

Why fliould I fret myfelf at the profperity 
of the wicked ? Indeed, when I look at the 
fpreading bay, and forget the withering 
herb ; when I view their quails, and forget 
their curfe ; I am apt to miftruft the love 
of heaven towards me, and its providence 
over me. But in the fanftuary of God I 
find caufe to reprefs the fpirit of murmuring 
and diitruft, fo apt to be excited by feeing 
wealth and honour in the hands of infidelity 
and villainy, while the faithful fervants of 
God are covered with infamy, and oppreffed 
with poverty. There I difcover the fatal 
end of the wicked. There I find, on the 
authority of the word of God, that all the 
bldffoms of their glory mud wither under 
the bladings of divine wrath ; that all their 
external felicity doth but only perfect the 
judgments of the Lord, and fill up the mea- 
fure of their mifery* For what is their plea- 
fure ? Only like the deceitful falute of Joab 
K 2 with 



108 The WICKED not ENVIABLE. 

with Amafa. What is. their honour ? It is 
only like Abfalom's mule, which carries 
them to their gallows* What are their 
riches ? They are but like Jael's prefent in 
a lordly difh. They only make way for the 
fatal nail, for their fad account in the day 
of judgment. This their profperity deftroys 
them. Now, who envies the ox that hath 
a good pafture to feed him for the flaughter ? 
Who envies the malefactor that hath a fair 
day to ride to his execution in ? And why 
is it that the workers of iniquity flourifh ? 
Is it not, that they may be dejiroyed forever ? 
And the larger their pafture, the fooner they 
are fitted for the flaughter. Therefore, 
when I fee the wicked profper in their fins, 
I will turn the flame of envy into a tear of 
pity. Prevent me from chufing any other 
portion in this world than thee, O Lord my 
Redeemer ! who haft fo gracioufly promifed 
to be my portion for ever, in the world that 
is to come* 



& CHRIS- 






A CHRISTIANS HEAVEN and HELL. 10P 



LI. 

A CHRISTIAN'S HEAVEN and HELL., 

This is heaven— to be forever with the 
Lord ; and this heli — to be forever without 
the Lord. You who can fee no excellence 
in Jefus Chrift, nor glory in heaven ! do ye 
like wife fee no flames in hell ; no hell in 
the lofs of God ? Therefore, if ye cannot be 
delighted with his prefence, O tremble at his 
abfence. Though ye care not to be with, 
him, yet fear to be without him. For this is 
hell upon earth, depart from us ; and this is 
hell when we leave this world, depart from 
me. O how wretched is the cafe of the man, 
who inftead of crying. Come, Lord Jefus ! 
come quickly, cries to the rocks and the moun- 
tains to bury him for ever in their ruinSo 
Sinner ! haft thou the leaft fpark of reafon 
remaining ? Let thefe expoftulations of a. 
merciful God — -0 that my people would hear- 
ken unto me ! Be inflrutied, Jervfalem, left 
my foul depart from thee ! Why will ye die, 
houfe oflfrael! Let thefe expoftulations reign 
# K-3 over 



no The USE of RICHES. 

over thy heart. Let the frightful image of 
hell make a deep impreffion on thy foul. 
Frightful ideas of judgment and of hell ! 
may you be always in my mind, when the 
\vorld would decoy me to flain my heaven- 
born nature by its vain and glaring fiaares. 
O Lord ! my Redeemer ! thou art my trea- 
fure, my heaven, and my happinefs. Unite 
me to thee, that I may dwell for ever with 
thee* 



LII. 
The USE of RICHES. 

The good that is in riches lies altogether 
in their ufe. If they are not broken, like 
the box of ointment, and poured out for the 
refrefhment of Jefus Chrifl in his diflreffed 
fervants, they lofe their worth. Therefore 
the covetous man may juftly write upon his 
rufting heaps, The/e are good for nothing. — 
St. Chryfoftom tells us. That he is not rich 
who lays up much^ but he only who lays our 

much ; 



The USE of RICHES. ill 

much ; and that it is the fame things not to 
ha-ve^ as not to ufe. I will, therefore, be the 
richer, by a charitable laying out ; while the 
worldling fhall be the poorer, by his covetous 
hoarding up. When thou, O Lord, takeft 
the place of man, and from thy high abode, 
where thou dweileft among the praifes of , 
the bleffed, afoefi my charity in the perfon.s 
of thy needy people ; affift.me to take thy 
place, and to give alms of fuch things as I 
have. Teach me, in giving my aims, to give 
my mind— to give my heart ; to commit to 
thee, not only a little portion of my property^ 
but -alfo my body, my foul, my falvation. 



Go* imitate the grace divine, 
The grace that blazes like a fun ; 

Hold forth your fair, though feeble light? 
Through ail- your lives let mercy run, 

Upon your bounty's willing wings 
Swift let the kind ailiflance fly ; 

The hungry feed, the naked clothe, 
To pain and ficknefs help apply. 

When all is done, renounce your deeds, 
Renounce felf-righteoufnefs with fcorn 

Thus will ye glorify your God, 
And thus the chriftian name adorn. 



1 12 The WORLDLING'S GOD. 



LOT. 

The WORLDLING'S GOD. 

Who will part with his God ?' I will part 
with my life rather than with my God. No 
marvel, then, that the covetous man fo hugs 
his gold ; for it is his god. Were you to 
rob him of that, he might cry with Micah, 
when he loft his gods,. What have I more ? 
His heaven is gone, his happinefs is gone. 
his all is gone, if his god be gone. There- 
fore, I will not wonder fo much at the clofe- 
nefs of his hand, as at the ignorance of his 
mind, and the choice of his will. We count 
it Angular wifdom, to keep the God whom 
we chufe. But that, furely, is the moft ab- 
folute folly, to chufe that god which we can- 
not keep, 

Jefus Chrift, the fame yefierday, to d< 
and for ever ! thou art my Lord and my 
God. Glorify me with thyfelf. Hear and 
ratify this fervent requeft. 

As 



INSUFFICIENCY of the WORLD, 113 



As parched in the barren fands 

Beneath a burning Iky, 
The worthlefs bramble withering ftands, 

And only grows to die : 

Such is the finner's awful cafe, 
Who makes the world his truft ; 

And dares his confidence to place 
In vanity and duft. 

But happy he whofe hopes depend 

Upon the Lord alone ; 
The foul that trufts in fuch a friend, 

Can ne'er be overthrown. 



XIV. 

INSUFFICIENCY of the WORLD." 

O my foul! thou art fpiritua'l in thy ef- 
fence, imrnenfe in thy defires, and immortal 
in thy nature. Therefore, there mud be 
proportion and perfeftion in what thou en- 
joyed, with a perennity of both ; otherwife, 
thou canfl not be fully contented, or really 
fatisfied. Now, were the whole world turn- 
ed into the garden of Eden, and that garden 
watered with the living fprings of immorta- 
lity 



114 INSUFFICIENCY or the WORLD. 

lity, and thou feated in the throne of its 
choiceft excellencies, crowned with the dia- 
dem of its higheft felicities, fwaying the 
fceptre of thy glory over all fublunary crea- 
tures : Nay, couldeft thou give reins to the 
fun, or guidance to the moving flames ; did 
thy territories reach to the higheft heavens, 
and the revenue of thy crown flow in from 
the fartheft parts of the earth ; yet, what 
proportion doth a material world bear to 
to an immaterial, immortal foul ? Will a 
lion feed upon grafs ? Or can the foul be 
fatisfied with duft ? As in the world there 
is no proportion, fo there is no perfection. 
Extract the very effence of the pureft and 
mod defirable excellencies under heaven, 
yet it is of fuch an imperfect nature, that 
there are more lees than liquor, more thorns 
than flowers, more fmoke than fire, more 
fting than honey, That foul, therefore, 
(hall be filled with a whirlwind of vexation, 
that thinks of being fatisfied with an imper- 
fect obje£t. It is impoffible that fuch a 
fcanty excellence fhould any way fill fuch 
an enlarged capacity. Yet again, were there 
perfection, there is not perpetuity. The 

world 



VANITY of the WORLD. 11 5 



world will fly away, like a bird from the 
perch ; or melt away, like ice before the 
fun ; and thus leave the immortal foul to 
link for ever; fo that the creature will not 
only make the foul reftlefs, but leave it mi- 
ferable. I fee then, that I fhall never reft 
till I reft in God. He who is the Father of 
Spirits, the fountain of blifs, the Ancient of 
days ; he only is the adequate objeft of thy 
happinefs, O my immortal foul ! The reft 
of the creature is its end ; the end of the 
foul is its God. Therefore,' O Lord my 
God ! feeing thou haft made me for thyfelf, 
fill me fully with thyfelf, and be to eternity 
my exceeding great reward. 



LV. 

The VANITY of the WORLD. 

Doth Satan tempt thee, by pleafures, dig- 
nities, or profits ? O my foul ! Stand upon 
thy guard. Gird on thy ftrength. Always 
reflect thus : What can the world profit 

me, 



116 The VANITY of the WORLD. 

me, if the cares of it choke me ? How can 
pleafures delight me, if their fling poifon me: 
Or, what advancement is it, to be triumph- 
ing in honour before the faces of men here, 
and to be trembling for fhame before the 
throne of God hereafter ? What are the joys 
of the world, to the peace of my confcience, 
and the joy of the Holy Ghoft ? What are 
the applaufes of men, to the crown prepared 
by Jefus Chrift ? Or, what is the gain of the 
worlds to the lofs of my foul? The vanity of 
the creature is far beneath the excellency of 
my foul. Therefore, get thee behind me, 
Satan ; for thy provifion is infinitely more 
capable of deceiving than of fatisfying me ; 
thou art a cruel and mercilefs mafter, whofe 
wages are death. Determining to purfue 
new objefts, I will chufe fuch as are capable 
of fatisfying me. I will not feek them here 
below. They are not to be found in this 
old world* which: God hath curfed. They 
are in the new heavens and the new earth, 
which religion promifeth. Thou art my 
King, O Lord of life and glory ! Suffer no 
ufurper to poifefs thy place in my affections. 

Permit 



^T k e CHRISTIAN TRAVELLER. 1 W 



Permit no other Lord to have dominion over 
me ; and let me be thine in the day when 

thou make ft up i hy jewels, 



LVI. 
The CHRISTIAN TRAVELLER, 

A black' cloud makes the traveller mend 
his pace, and mind his home; whereas a 
fair day and a pleafant path, wafte his time, 
and (leal away his affe&ions, in the profpects 
of the country. However others may think 
of it, I take it as a mercy, that now andthen 
fome clouds intercept my fun, and that many 
times fome troubles ec-lipfe my comforts. 
For I perceive that if I fhould find too much 
attention in my inn, too much friendfhip 
from the world, in my pilgrimage through 
it, — I fhould foon forget my Father's houfe, 
my fpiritual kindred, and my lading heri- 
tage. Travelling in the land of pits, I be- 
feech thee, O Lord my God ! to fhew me 
the way everlafting ; and to lead me in a plain 
path, becaufe of mine enemies. Teach me Je- 
L fus 



lis The WORLD HATES the SAINTS. 



fus Chrift, the true and living way to theo, 
my Father and my God. 

Whene'er temptations would allure, 

Cr fill my heart with dread, 
My Go J, thy powerful grace impart 

To help in time of need. 

May fear of thee, and hate of fin, 

My wary foul poffefs ; 
And lively faith, and joyful hope 

My vigilance encreafe. 

Help me to pray, and watch, and ftrive,; 

O ! bid the tempter flee ; 
And let me never, never ftray 

From happinefs and thee. 



LVII. 
The WORLD HATES the SAINTS. 

There is a generation of men that will 
praife and adore the faints in heaven, and 
afflid the faints on earth. So that, were all 
thofe faints alive again upon earth, whom 
they fo much honour now ; I dare affirm, 
that they would perfecute them in their per- 

fons 



The WORLD HATES the SAINTS. 11.9 

fbns. Like the Jews, they can garnilh the 
fepulchre of the righteous. DiiTembling 
world ! thy tongue embalms a dead faint, 
whilfl thy hand fhikes a wound into the liv- 
ing faints ; thou canft praife God for thofe 
that are departed in the faith, and yet per- 
fecute God in the perfons of thofe that wl^ 
not depart from the faith. O foolifti, incon- 
fiftent world ! thou muft needs condemn 
thyfelf, for thy praife hath left thy practice 
without excufe. 



Reft in the Lord, and keep his way, . 

Nor let your anger rife, 
Though Providence fhould long delay 

To punifh haughty vice. 

Let finners join to break your peace, 

And plot, and rage, and foam, 
The Lord derides them, for he fees 

Their day of vengeance come. 

They have drawn out the threat' ning fword, 

Have bent the murd'rous bow, 
To flay the men that fear the Lord, 

And bring the righteous low. 

My God fhall break their bows, and burn 
Their perfecting darts, 
hail their own fwords againfi them turn, 
And pain furprife their hearts. 

L2- ALMS-- 



ALMS-GIVING. 



LVIII. 

ALMS-GIVING of GREAT ADVANTAGE, 

Alexander being afeed, where he would 
lay his treafure, anfwered well — apud amicos 9 
i. e. among my friends ; being confident, that 
there it would be kept with fafety, and re- 
turned with intereft. Why, O man ! Why 
needeftthou enlarge thy barns ? Knowefl 
thou not where to depofit thy plenty r — 
Make the friends of Jefus Chrift thy treafury. 
Let the hands of the widow, and the bowels 
of the poor be thy iiore-houfe. Here it is 
fare ; no thief can fteal it ; no time can 
ruft it ; no change can lofe it ; and here it 
is improved. Thou wilt not turn poorer by 
alms-giving, A temporal gift is thus turned . 
into an eternal reward. Sow thy charity in 
this ground- and it will bring forth an hun- 
dred fold. I recollect here an epitaph faid 
to be engrayen on the tomb of Atolus of 
Rheims — He exported his fortune bfcre 
into heaven by his charities^ he is gone thither 
to enjoy it. How fuperior to thole naufeous- 

infcriptioxls 



ALMS-GIVING. • 



infcriptions, which feed pride among bones, 
and worms, and putrefaction ! Ruler of the 
univerfe ! if thou giveft me riches, eradicate 

from my heart the love of the world 

Teach me to give to the poor what would 
otherwife nourifh avarice, and to fend my 
fortune before me into heaven. Let mv fu- 
neral oration be fpoken by the wretched in 
fobs and fighs, and fuch expreffions as thefe ; 
/ was naked \ and he clothed me ; I was hungry* 
and he fed me ; I lived a dying life 7 and be 
was the happy injlrument of providence tofup-.- 
port me- 

Blefr. is the man whofe bowels move. 

And melt with pity to the poor, 
Whofe foul by iympathizing love, 

Feels what his fellow faints endure. 

His foul (hail live fecure on earth, 

With feuet blefiing's on his head, 
When drought, and peililence, and dearth. 

Around him multiply their dead. 



Of, if he languilh on his couch, 

God will pronounce his fins forgiv'n, 

Will fave him with a healing touch, 
Or take his willing foul to heaven. 

L3 



122 WORLD'S worthlessness. 



LIX. 

The WORLD'S WORTHLESSNESS. 

How blind and perverfe is it, to purfue a 
fading world , and to negledt or defpife hea- 
ven, which is a durable and ineftimable trea- 
fure ! O my foul ! what makeft thou by 
grovelling on the earth ? Every thing here 
below is too bafe for thy excellency, too 
fhort for thy eternity. Thou art capable of 
knowing and enjoying the everlafting God, 
and muft have a being, when thefe poor crea- 
tures are reduced to nothing. The creature 
is too bafe a metal to make thee a crown 
of glory— too rotten a bottom to carry thee 
through eternity. O! filTthyfelf with God ; . 
then fhalt thou raife thy honour to perpe- 
tuity. Thine be the faith, that prevails upon 
the will, the affections, and the whole man, 
to receive the Lord Jefus Chrift on his own 
terms, and to manifeft this reception of him 
by a uniform and univerfal observance of 
his ■ injunctions. Redeemer of my fpirit! 

fay 



A CHRISTIAN'S CIRCUMSPECTION. 1-3 

fay unto me, thy jms are forgiven thee y. thy 
faith hath faved thee. ; go in peace* 

How vain are all things here below ! 

How falfe, and yet how fair ! 
E-ach pleaflire hath its poifo-n too \. 

And every fvveet a fnare. 

The brigkteft things below the fky 

Give but a flatt'ring light \ 
We mould fufpecl: fome danger nighy .-., 

When we poiTefs delight. _ 

Dear Saviour, let thy beauties be 

Our foul's eternal food ; 
And grace command our hearts away 

Prom all created good, 



LX. 

A CHRISTIAN'* circumspection. 

St. Paul enjoins the awakened,enlightened," 
and renewed Epheiians, to walk circiimfpeclly; 
mt as fools , hut as wife men. Who is it that 
walks as a fool in religion ? The man, whofe . 
eyes are not upon his way, or who walks im 
his own ways, which are crooked and dark,. 
and lead to deftru&ion. Who is it that 

walks 



124 A christian's circumspe tion. 

walks like a wife man in religion ? The man 
who walks according to the rule of God's 
word, who makes Jefus Chriil his pattern, 
and who folicits the Holy Ghoft to be his 
guide ; the man who walks with his eyes 
about -him ; with due regard to* the ftrength 
and artifice of his enemies, and in the con- 
ftant ufe of prayer, meditation, and all thofe 
means of grace, which are appointed by 
God to produce and cherifh holinefs in the 
foul. 

Having chofen the way to heaven, I 
will ftrive to walk circumfpe&ly. When 
any thing prefents itfelf, I will always confi- 
der — if Jefus Ghrift were now upon earthy 
would he do it ? Or if I were now to die, 
would I do k ? I muft walk as my Redeemer 
walked, and I muft live as I intend to die. 
If it be not Chrift's will, it is my fin ; and 
if I die in that fin, it will prove my ruin, 
I will, therefore, in every aftion, fo conduft 
myfelf, as if Jefus Chrift were on the one 
hand and death on the other. Crown my r 
refolution, O Lord ! with the power of the 
Holy Ghoft. 



W MINDFULof ETERNITY. ,v*6 



LXL 
LIVE MINDFUL of ETERNITY. 

Our life is but, a moment ; and yet in this 
moment of time we fow the feeds of eter- 
nity. In this tranfitory hour I am framing 
to myfeif either a good or a bad eternity. 
Though the words I now fpeak, and the 
works I now perform, feem here to rot and 
to be forgotten, yet they fliall fpring up to^ 
eternity. As the poet anfwe-red one, who 
upbraided him for being three days in mak- 
ing three yerfes, whereas he could make an 
hundred in one day — at tui triduum ?noda, 
mei in oniric aternum duraturi funt ; i. e. 
thine are only for three days, but mine /ha/I 
continue for ever. So may we anfwer this 
foolifh world, upbraiding us of too -much 
ftri&nefs and precifenefs. Oh ! have we 
not need to be exact, fmce the works we are 
doing are not to be written in fand, but in 
the records of eternity ; fince, according to 
our conduct now, our names mult either rife 
or tali for ever ; . fmce the lines we now draw 

mud 



126 LIFE" of the RIGHTEOUS. 

muft run parallel with eternity; fmce,accord- 
ing to our deeds of faith,, and love, and ho- 
linefs, our fouls muft live or die for ever. — 
Help me, O Lord ! fo to improve the brevity 
of life, by the integrity of thefe deeds, as to 
turn this moment of mifery into an eternity 
of blifs. 



LXII. 
The HAPPY LIFE of the RIGHTEOUS. 

The foul of man, faith a philofopher, is 
the horizon of time and eternity. Now, if 
the Sun of righteoufnefs be not rifen in our 
horizon, we muft expect nothing but a 
clouded time, and a ftormy eternity ; grofs 
darknefs here, and utter darknefs for ever. 
But as for thofe happy faints, into whofe 
fouls the oriental fplendour of. the Sun of 
righteoufnefs is fhed abroad ; how do they 
live in his light ! what celeftial. excellencies, 
what reviving comforts, what advancing 
principles, are darted forth from the face of 

beauty. 



LIFE or the RIGHTEOUS.^ Mfc 



beauty and of glory into their fouls ! Behold 
them in fociety, in the clofet, in a participa- 
tion 'of holy ordinances, and at the approach 
of death, and ye will find them participating 
the eternal felicity, which is the objeS: of 
their hope* What is the life of a man who, 
after the example of his Lord, goes about 
doing good ? It is an angelical life, it is a 
heavenly life, it is an anticipation of that 
life which happy fpirits live in heaven. Be- 
hold him in retirement. In his clofet he re- 
collects, concenters himfelf, and lofes him- 
felf in God. There, in the rich fource of 
religion, he quenches the third of knowing, 
elevating, perpetuating, and extending him- 
felf, which burns within him ; and there he 
feels, to his inexpreffible joy, how the God 
of love proportions himfelf to the boundlefs 
capacity of the human heart. There, con- 
templating the rich gifts of God to man, as 
the God of nature, of grace, and of glory, 
his foul is fatisfied as with marrow and 
fatnefs, and he exclaims in tranfport, with 
Afaph, my fupreme good is to draw near to 
God ! When lhall I come ? O ! when fhall. 
I come and appear before God ? But, behold 

the 



128 LIFE of the RIGHTEOUS. 

mum i m i — — ■■ ■■■■ . . , , .. -- 

the pious man in the participation of facred 
Ordinances ! Behold him at the table of the 
Lord ! With eyes'of flefli I fee nothing to 
diftinguifh him from the croud : At moll, I 
fee only a fpark in his eye, a look caft to- 
wards heaven, emotions which the veil of 
humility that covers him cannot entirely 
conceal. But, with the eyes of my mind, 
I behold a man of a fuperior order, a man 
in paradife, a man nourifhed with pleafure 
at the right hand of God, a man at whofe 
conversion the angels of God rejoice, a man 
who makes the glory of'Chrift's triumph, a 
man who hath the bleffed art of making hea- 
ven defcend into his foul. Behold him at 
the table of his Lord ! There, I behold, a- 
midft the miferies and vanities of the world, 
a man already juftified^ already raifed, already 
glorified^ already fitting in heavenly places with 
Chrifl Jefus. But, laftly, the end, the death 
of that man is peace. In death, he fees and 
defires nothing but that difpenfation of hap- 
pinefs, which he hath already embraced by 
faith, pofleffed by hope, and tailed by the 
comforts of the Holy Spirit in his foul; 
and hence comes that aftive fervour which 

makes 



LIFE of the RIGHTEOUS. 129 



makes his countenance luminous like that of 
departing Stephen, O what peace have 
they who love the Lord, and obey his gof- 
pel ! How unfpeakable, how ineflimable, 
even in this world, is the joy of believing ! 
And as for the faints, in whofe horizon Jefus 
Chrift is in the eternal meridian of his glory; 
Oh ! what radiant beams of blifs and con- 
folation, without the lead fhadow of bitternefs 
and difcontent, warm and delight their 
happy fouls -to all eternity! O Lord, my 
ftrength and my Redeemer, my fun and 
my fhield ! lift up the light of thy counte- 
nance in my horizon ; fo fhall time be the 
morning, and eternity the noon of glory in 
my foul. — Amen. 



LXIIL 

The WORLDLING'S MEAN CHOICE. 

The world has many fervants, becaufe it 
gives prefent wages. Jefus Chrift has but few 
difciples, becaufe their reward is in another 
M life 



: so WORLDLINGS CHOICE. 



life. Moft men live by fight, and therefore 
they mult have foinething to fatisfy fenfe.— 
p rhey would rather ,with Ifmael, be fent away 
with a fmaW gift, than with Ifaac wait for 
the inheritance. They would rather take 
their portion in this life, than wait for an in- 
heritance referved in the heavens. Their 
unworthy fpirits cry with Efau, What profit 
will this birth-right do us ; we mujl have pie a- 
fure and riches. Therefore, like Lyfima- 
chus, who fold his kingdom for a draught 
of water, they will fell themfelves, their all, 
for a paffing fhadow. There are but few 
who have the elevated fpirit of Chrift's dif- 
ciples ; few who can leave a pofleffion, and 
live upon a promife. There are but few 
who inherit the heroic fpirit of Mofes ; few 
who can defpife the treafures of this prefent 
world, out of refpeO; to the recompence of 
a future reward But, alas ! how many are 
there, who poffefs the fordid fenfe of the 
rich man mentioned in the parable ; many, 
who will enjoy their good things here, and 
let futurity provide for itfelf ! Give me the 
fpirit which is of thee, O God ! Let me not 
have my portion in this life. Teach me to 

live 



WORLDLINGS CHOICE. 131 

live. by faith, to wait thy leifure, and to de- 
pend upon thy veracity. Let the comfort of 
this promfe be mine, Fear not little flock ; for 
it is your Father's good pie afar e to give you the 
kingdom. 



LXIV. 

AS WE LIVE SO WE DIE. 

The way which the tree inclines, while k 
grows, that way it pitcheth when it falleth ; 
and there it lies, whether it be towards the 
north or the fouth, the eaft or the weft. As 
we are in life, fo, for the moft part, we are in 
death ; and fo we lie down in eternity, whe- 
ther it be towards heaven or towards hell. 
Being once fallen, there is no removing.— 
For as in war, an error is death ; fo in death, 
an error is damnation. If we believe in the 
omnifcience of God, and yet infult him daily 
without repentance or remorfe ; if we be- 
lieve in his>inflexible juftice, and yet live in 
fin, which he -detcfts and forbids us to com- 
M 2 mit ; 



132 As WE LIVE so WE DIE. 

mit ; if we believe that there are devouring 
flames, and chains of eternal darknefs, and 
yet continue prefumptuoufly to brave their 
horrors ; if we believe the immortality of 
our fouls, and yet occupy ourfelves about 
nothing but the prefent fading life ; Oh how 
awful the profpefl ! In this condition, there 
remaineib nothing but a fearful looking for of 
judgment and fiery indignation^ to devour fuch 
adversaries. Therefore live, O mortals ! as 
you intend to. die ; and die as you intend to 
live for ever. Refpeft the gofpel, and ftudy 
, it every day, Apply its comforts to your 
fbrrows, and its precepts to your lives. And, 
joining promifes to precepts, and precepts to 
promifes, afifort your chriftianity. Allure 
y ourfelves then, of the peace of God in this 
life, and of a participation of his glory after 
death. O Lord, my God and Redeemer! 
let the bent of my foul be always towards 
thee, that fo I may fall to thee,, and reft for 
ever with thee. 



PROSPERITY 



PROSPERITY DANGEROUS. 133 



LXV. 

PROSPERITY DANGEROUS, 

Like the river that runs through many 
p'leafant meadows,. by many fliady groves, 
and flowery banks, and yet falls into a dead 
fea, and becomes a part of that fea ; like fuch * 
a river is a wicked rich man. Here, he walks 
thro' the meadowsof worldlypIeafures,under 
the fhades of earthly comforts,and among the 
flowers of carnal delights; but, at lad, -he 
runs himfelf out into a dead lake, and is caft 
into hell, among the number of thole that 
forget God. And not only fo, but his very 
heaven itfelf, that made up-all his happinefs, 
is turned into hell. His beauty is turned 
into horror, his honour into fhame, and his 
pleafure into bitternefs. - It is but a little 
while, and the pleafures -of fmners, and the- 
afflictions of faints, will end in a ftate directly 
contrary to what is enjoyed or fuffered here. 
With God a thousand years are but as one day* - 
He meafures all things by eternity. The 
veffcls of mercy are, by fanttified afilittions, 
M 3 made- 



1S4 PROSPERITY DANGEROUS. 



made fit for eternal glory. The vejfels of 
wrath are, by the abufe of his bounty and 
patience, fitted for eternal definition. The 
profperity of fools Jhall defiroy them. When 
Diogenes obferved that the fick, languifhing, 
and confumptive perfons, who came to the 
temple of Efculapius for recovery, made a 
luxurious feafl after they had offered their 
facrifices, he exclaimed, Is this the way to 
recover health ? If you were found, it is the 
fpeedy and effe&ual way to bring on dif- 
eafes ; and, if you are difeafed, it is an in- 
fallible method to bring on death. This is 
applicable in a higher fenfe. The intem- 
perate ufe of fenfual delights weakens the 
life and vigour of the foul in a faint, and 
mod certainly brings death to difeafed fouls^ 
that indulge their corrupt affe&ions. There- 
fore, I will always look on profperous fin- 
ners w 7 ith pity, and not with envy and dif- 
content. O my God ! create in me a pure 
heart, whofe flreams of love may end in 
heaven. I care not what ftony veins I run 
through here on earth, provided, . beyond 
death, I lofe the name of weaknefs and cor- 
ruption, for glory and perfection. O give 

jne 



PROSPERITY DANGEROUS. 



me thaxjhield of faith, and that fword of the 
Spirit which will fecure me in profperityfrom 
the fnares, and in adverfity from the forrow 
of the world, which worketh death. Let 
the glory of heaven, in my foul, fo eclipfe 
the faint and fading luftre of this world, that 
I may not only patiently but cheerfully make 
the exchange of the one for the other \ of a 
perifhing world for heaven, a better and an 
enduring fubjiance. . 

Lord, what a though tlefs fool was I, 
To mourn, and murmur, and repine, .. 

To fse the wicked plac'd on high, 
In pride and robes of honour fhine I 

But, O their end, their dreadful end ! . 

Thy fancluary taught me fo : 
On flippery rocks I fee them Hand, 

And fiery billows roll below. 

Now I efteem their mirth and wine 
Too dear to purchafe with my blood \ 

Lord, 'tis enough that thou art mine, 
My life, my portion, and my God, 



THE 



13.6 Tm WORLBJJNG's FOLLY. 



LXVI. 

The WORLDLING'S FOLLY, 

What is a day to an age ? And what 
is an age to eternity ? Yet we know 
that the ihorteft day is part of the ioiigdt 
time, and that the. longeft time is no part 
cf eternity. For, where time-ends, there eter- 
nity begins. Why, then, are we fd foolifh 
as- to heap up goods for mortality, and 
to lay up riches, which, at longed, are but 
for many years, and perhaps not for' many 
hours ; and yet to provide nothing for eter- 
nity ? And why are we fo careful to humour 
and uphold, a piece of mouldering clay, a 
frail and mortal body, which cannot ftand 
above an age, perhaps not above a day 5 and 
yet negleft thofe precious fouls that (hall 
endure for ever ! . How -unfui table, how in- 
fufficient is the whole world to fill the de- 
fires of the foul ! What is the glory of the ■ 
world ? A phantom, a fhadow. Can the 
profits of the world make us happy ? No ; 
Rides are vanity, What are worldly plea- 

fures ? 



The WORLDLING'S FOLLY. 137 

• j . ■ ■ ' ■■ ' ■ '■ "" ■ ■■ i ■ ■ 

fures ? They are a fum in defire, but a cy- 
pher in enjoyment, Pfefent them to a 
troubled mind, and they areinftantly extin- 
guifhed. The world may cloy, but it can- 
not fatisfy, Sicknefs, difappointments, and 
apprehenfions of evil, may imbitter the mod 
profperous. condition* What a fool is the 
worldling ? He rejoices in a thing of nought. 
But fpiritual joy is real' and permanent.— 
Peace with God, and the joy that flows from 
it, the world can neither give nor take away* 
The happinefs of the faint is furrounded 
by eternity. How worthy is this happinefs, 
then, of our mofi afpiring ambition, of all 
our hopes and defires ! Do we not aim at a 
profperous and happy life ? Why then, let 
us labour for a glorious eternity. Let us 
habitually and fmcerely pray, that whether 
abftnt orprefenty whether in life, or in death, 
or in judgment, we may be accepted of 'God V 
through Jefus Cbrift. 



See the vain race of mortals move 
Like fhadows o'er the plain ; 

They rage and ftrive, defire and love, 
But all their noife i: vain, 



1S8- No HAPPINESS without HOLINESS. 



What would I wifh, or wait for then, 
For creatures, earth, and duft ? 

They make our expectations vain, 
And diiappoint our truft. 

Now, I forbid my carnal hope, , 

My fond defires recal ; 
I gire my mortal intereft up, 

And make my God my all, 



LXVII. 

No HAPPINESS without HOLINESS- 

Holinefs is the chlefefl excellency of man* 
his higheft diftinftion and advantage above 
inferior beings. It is the fuprerne beauty 
of the foul, the refemblance of angels, the 
image of God himfelf. But, alas, how per- 
verfe is the human heart! All men. would 
have happinefs for their end, but few would 
have holinefs for their way. All men would 
have the glory, but there are few that feek 
the righteoufnefs, of the. kingdom of heaven. 
Too, too many are like, a certain nobleman, 
who, being afked ; what he thought of the 

courfe 



No HAPPINESS without HOLINESS. 159 



courfe of precife puritans, as the world then 
termed them, and of the life of licentious li- 
bertines, anfwered thus-rum ijlis mallemvivere, 
cum Mis mori mallem ; that is, / would rather 
live with thefe> and die with ihofe. Are there 
not many like him in fentiment ? Yes : Mod 
men would rather live like Balaam, but die 
with Ifrael. They would willingly have the 
libertine's eafe and pleafure, but the end, the 
peace, andhappinefsofthegodly man. Butthis 
is certain, that no foul (hall at death return 
to God in happinefs, but that, and that onlv, 
which draws near to God in prayer, praife, 
and love -upon earth. The righteoufnefs of 
the kingdom is the only way of entering into 
it. That foul only fhaH reft in heaven above, 
that walks in heaven while it fojourns here 
below. No foul {hall enter into the gate of 
felicity, but that only which treads the nar- 
row paths of piety. That exclufion is per- 
emptory and univerfal ; without holinefs no 
man /hall fee the Lord. Suppofe the law 
were difpenfed with that forbids the impure 
to enter into the holy Jerufalem ; the place 
could not make them happy ; for happinefs 

confift-s 



1 40 No HAPPINESS without HOLINESS. 

■confifts in the enjoyment of an f obje£t that is 
fuitable and fatisfying to our defires. The 
holy God cannot be our portion and our 
happinefs, without our partaking of his na- 
ture. In a word, according to the law of 
faith, no wicked perfon hath any right to 
the fatisfa&ion which Jefus Chrift hath 
made, or to the inheritance which he hath 
purchafed for believers. O Lord my God ! 
make me holy, that I may be happy. Let 
me love as well to glorify thee, as to be glo- 
rified of thee. Let me bear thy image of 
holinefs now, as an earned:, that to eternity 
I fhall bear the image of thy felicity. 



LXVIIK 
THE REBEL IN DANGER. 

What rebel, under proclamation of mercy, 
ftandeth out, when he knows he fhall be 
fubdued and brought in by the hand of juf- 
ftice ? Yet how many refractory fmners, 
like the invited gue/ts mentioned in the gof* 

pel,, 



The REBEL in DANGER, 111 

gofpel, deride the meffengers of peace, until 

they are flain by the men of war ! Indeed, 

O finner, hadil thou wifdom and ftrength 

for the battle ; could thy heart endure, or 

thy hands be ftrong in the day when God 

lhall deal with thee ; this were much. Or, 

could the gods which thou fervefl deliver thee 

out of the hands of the God of omnipotence, 

this were more. But, alas ! thou mufl one 

day be brought under his power, either in 

favour or in fury ; either to -the praife of his 

grace, or to the magnifying of his juftice. — * 

If thou hateft his throne, thou fhalt be made 

his footftool. If thou wilt not have him to 

be thy head, thou (halt be trodden under his 

feet. If he be not thy Redeemer to exalt 

thee to eternal happinefs, he will afluredly 

be thy juft, impartial judge to confign thee ■ 

to the blacknefs of darknefs for ever. In a 

word, if thou wilt not touch the golden 

fceptre of his mercy, thou fhalt be xrufhed 

with the iron rod of his juftice. Remember, 

it is only in this life, this hand-breadth of 

time, that the flag of mercy is difplayed, and 

that the taper of peace burneth. If once 

the white fignal of mercy is folded up, and 

N the 



Uq The REBEL is DANGER. 

-»■ _._ — _ -> 

the taper of peace is burnt out ; then, O im- 
penitent, look for nothing but the awful dif- 
play of the red fignal of eternal vengeance. 
jisfor ihofe wine enemies that would not that 
Ijhoidd reign over tbtn*> bring them hither ■, and 
Jlay them before me. Therefore lit down in* 
frantly, and fee thy weaknefs, and thy dan- 
ger ; and while the king is yet a great way 
off, fend out the ambaffadors of thy prayers 
and thy tears, of thy faith and thy repen* 
tance, to offer a complete and permanent 
farrender of the citadel of thy foul into his 
merciful hands. Surely it is better to come 
in a favourite, than to be brought in a traitor. 
Returning (inner, there is hope concerning 
thee ! There is forgivenefs with God, and 
repentance fecures it, 

Raife thy downcaft eyes and fee 

What forms his throne furround \ 
They, tho' finners once like thee, 

Have full falvation found. 

He has pardons to impart 



Grace to fare thee from thy fears j 
See the lo\e that fills his heart, 
And wipe away thy tears* 



The 



The BENEFIT of REPENTANCE. 14S 



LXIX. 

The BENEFIT of REPENTANCE. 

Sorrow is the infeparable companion or 
fin* Admit fin, and forrow enters at its 
heels. If thy moment, O mortal, be fpent 
in mirth, thy eternity fhall be fpent in mourn- 
ing. If thou wilt not weep, while thou 
mayeft have mercy to pardon thee, thou 
fhalt lament hereafter, and yet have no eye 
to pity thee. A bottle of tears may now, 
as it were, quench the fire of fin ; but a cloud 
or an ocean of tears, (hall never quench the 
fire of hell. Therefore, while the wicked go 
on laughing, I defire to go on mourning.— 
The valley of Bochim will at length fet me on 
the hiil of Sion ; but the paths of carnal 
mirth will at length bring me into a hell of 
weeping. For this is a truth, that he that 
fwims in fin fhall fcon fink down in forrow. 
The laughter of the wicked fhall be turned 
into heavinefs, while the tears of the peni- 
tent fhall be wiped away. O blefied are 
they that now weep for tin, for they fhall 
N 2 not 



144 The BENEFIT of REPENTANCE. 

not weep hereafter. Bleffed are they who 
have laid, and who have acted according to 
their profefFion ; we will arife and go to oar 
Father; for they have received the prodigal's 
welcome ; their Father has already clothed 
them with the garment of falvation, the un- 
fpotted robe of a Saviour's righteoufnefs — 
O gracious Father ! fill my foul with that 
godly forrow which worketh repentance ; 
ftrengthen, confirm, and perfect my refolu- 
tions and endeavours to love thee more, and 
to ferve thee better than I have hitherto 
done* 

When thou, OLord, jhak ftand difcbs'd 

In majefly levere, 
And fit in judgment on my foul, 

O how fhali I appear I 

But thou hail told the troubled mind, 

Who doth her fins lament, 
That timely grief for errors paft 

Shall future woes prevent. 

Then fee the forrows of my heart* 

Ere yet it be too late ; 
And hear my Saviour's dying groans, 

To give tbofe forrows weight. 

The 



The FOLLY of DELAY. H5 



LXX, ■ 

The FOLLY of DELAY, 

There are many To-morrow Chriltians/ 
who fix their day with God. At fuch a 
day they will repent, and not before ; as ii 
they had the lord/hip of time, and the mo- 
nopoly of grace; whereas time and grace 
are only at God's dilpoial. Who then aft 
thou, O vain creature, that prefumeft upon 
thy own fufficiency, and dared to di^batt: 
and prefcribe to thy Maker r God governs 
the world in righteouiheis, and -CGthmutii- 
eates his favours with v^iidom. He, there- 
fbre, that does not 1 embrace the times and 
the feafons of doing his duty, as they are 
graciouily prefented to him, but is dilatory 
and remifs, upon a pretence of greater ie^ 
fure and convenience afterwards, feems to 
tie down Omnipotence- to ills own perverie 
humour, and to make >himfelf a judge, 
where he ought only to be a petitioner.™ 
Thus fays Saint Ambrofe, Penitenfi indul- 
gentiam- fed dilaturo diem crajtmam lion pro- 
N3 mljiVi 



MS twe FOLLY 01 DELA3J.. 

mijit ; that is, God hath promifed pardon to 
. the penitent , fetf /v £#/.£ not promifed to-mor* 
row to the negligent. And thus faith St. Au- 
guftine, £$ui dot pzniienti vemam, nonfemper 
dahil peccanti panitentiam ; that is, He that 
gives pardon to the penitent* 'will not always 
give repentance to thejtnner. If I put God 
off to-day, he may put me ofF to-morrow^ 
If I neglect this hour of grace, I may 
never he favoured with another* If I 
put by the hand of mercy to day, the hand 
of juftice may feize me to-morrow. It is 
true, that while I have time I may come 
in; but it is alfo true, that when I would 
come in, I may not have time. It is certain,, 
that whei£l repent I fhall have mercy ; but 
it is as certain, that when I would have 
mercy, I may not find repentance.. Do thou 9 
O Lord, who had given me this hour of 
grace to repent in, give me grace in this 
Heeting hoar to repent with* Let me never 
forget, that I mufl either fpend my time or 
my eternity in repentance; and that delays 
will not remove the neceffity, but will only 
render it the more bitter and fevere hereafter. 
O teach me the tolerable, hopeful, and me- 
dicinal repentance of the prefcnt- life j and. 

let 



D3IAT3 INCRBAS-n CKte UJli-i 



O 'TILT. i 17 



let me never know tire intolerable, unprofit- 
able, dcfpairing repentance of helL 

But Gnce 10 long with -earneft- voice- 
To you in vain I call ; 

Since all my counfels and reproofs 
Thus ineffectual fall ; 

The time will come, when humbled low, 
in formwfs evil dky, 

Yy-dr voice by anguiih mall be taught 
Bat taught too late to pray, 



LXXL 

DELAYS INCREASE ova- GUILT.. 

3in is like a gangrene, always fpreading 
and always deiiroying, Time does but 
heighten the malignity of the difeafe, and 
forbearance renders it the more incurable. 
The debt mull be cancelled, or the intereft 
will be always growing, and the borrower 
rendered beggarly and infolv-ent. Whoever 
thinks by delays to put his fpiritual affairs in 
a better poiture, and to aft with mere ma- 
ture judgment for the future, feems grofsly 

ignorant 



148 DELAYS INCREASE our GUILT. 

ignorant of the vigilance, the craft, and the 
activity of Satan and his emiiTaries. Alas 1 
as long as we linger, as long as guilt remains 
upon the confcience, the enemy is actually 
plundering our territories, feducing the in- 
habitants into frefh mutinies, and fortifying 
the ibul againft the returns and attacks of 
faith and virtue. Awake then, O Tinners! 
Call upon God to grant you the influences 
and aids of the Holy Ghoft for his Son's 
fake, to enlighten and renew you to act with 
courage, and to extricate your fouls from 
Haver y ; to cajl off the works * of darknefa and 
to put on the armour of light j to put on the 
Lord yefus Chrift^ and to walk in him as ycu 
have received him. Confider, how juitly 
might God have doomed you to the itorrm 
the darknefs, and the rigours of an everlaft- 
ing winter. ! But he waits to be gracious.— 
Your harveft is not yet p aft ; nay, you: 
fummer is not yet ended. The lives, of ibrne 
of you are fpared even to old age. Your 
ikuation. proclaims the. patience of God. 
You are in his houfe,. and before his throne, 
and capable of hearing his word, He hath 
guarded you from accidents, and raifed you 

UIJH 



DELiYS INCREASE our GUILT. 149 

up from, beds of languiftiing. O what 
ground of gratitude and praife, that this aw- 
ful fentence hath net yet been fulminated 
againd you^gfoe an account ofthyJiewardfnipJ 
Let this grace encourage you, not to fin, not 
to delay your repentance, but inftantly to 
pray, to believe, and to repent j not to (land 
afar off in the path of the deftroyer, but to 
approach to God through Jefus Chrift a fit 
Mediator ; and in his name, and pleading 
his righteoufnefs and death, afk the things 
that pertain to your prefent and future peace. 
Say from the heart, with the penitent publi- 
can, Godbe nierctful to me aftnner. Filled 
with forrow, & n A ftame, and felf-abhor- 
rence, refolve as follows : — To thee, O 
Lord, my gracious God, I here. devote aU I 
am, and all I have. Thee 1 will love and 
obey as a Father, a Redeemer, and a. 
San&ifier. Adieu 9 my vain and foolilh de- 
fires, my degrading, unprofitable purfuits. 
Above all things, I now defire pardon, peace, 
holinefs, and heaven. Aid me, O my God, 
to believe, and blefs me with the peace and 
joy of believing. Teach me to repent, and 
refrefh me with thy forgivenefs and favour. 

Excite 



150 DELAYS CREATE DIFFICULTIES. 

Excite me to hope, and let my hope be the 
helmet of my foul to repel temptations. In- 
fpire me with love, and let me be loved of 
thee. Let the love that is fhed abroad in 
my heart, be that pure and heavenly prin- 
ciple, which never faileth. Let the love of 
Chrilt invigorate mine. May I be conftrain- 
ed and animated thereby to follow my Re- 
deemer without wearying, and to walk in 
his doctrines and commandments without 
fainting. 



LXXII. 

DELAYS CREATE GREATER DIFFICULTIES. 

Whilft we are regardlefs of the overtures 
of falvarion, we frighten God's Spirit from 
us, and ftrftle all his friendly fuggeftions. — 
; Continuance in fin banifheth fhame,and har- 
dened! the confcience. Lazinefs enervates 
the foul, and perverts the right ufe of the 
faculties. Habits render us infdnfible, and 
cuilcm changes the very nature of virtue 

and 



DELAYS CREATE DIFFICULTIES. ISi 

and vice. Thus our cafe becomes deplo- 
rable, our difeafe inveterate, and our reco- 
very next door to impoffible. For can the 
Ethiopian change his Jhin^ or the leopard his 
fpots ? Then may ye alfo do good that are ac- 
cujiomed to do evil. The only twig that Tin- 
ners have to catch at 5 and the lalt refuge to 
which they can refort, are the hopes of 
calmer and fedater thoughts in the time of 
ficknefs, and at the hour of departure But 
is that a proper time to begin to live, when 
deatli is flaring us in the face, and the foul 
is fetting out for eternity. Is that a proper 
feafon for the recollection of our pall aftions, 
when we have hardly any knowledge of our 
prefent ones ? Is that a fit time for compo- 
fure and calmnefs, when we tofs and roar for 
the difquietude of our fouls^ and there is no 
foundnefs in ourflejh^ nor reft in our bones ^ by 
reafon of our pain ? Father of mercies ! 

preferve me from thefe fatal miflakes. 

Teach me to give thee my early and vigo- 
rous years for thy fervice j the bloom of my 
youth, and the firfl fruits of my health. — 
Let the fincerity of my repentance be noti- 
fied by reformation and amendment. Let 

a death 



1*2 FRIENDLY MONITORS. 



a death unto fin be followed by a life unto 
righteoufnefs. Let an aflurance of intereft 
in Jefus Chrifl refrefh my expiring fpirit, 
and let fullnefs of joy attend my diffolution, 
Even To. — Amen. 



LXIII. 

FRIENDLY MONITORS. 

Time and health, children, friendfhip, and 
property call upon us to remember our 
frailty, and to learn the leffons of wifdom. 
Time thus addrefieth us :— Behold, O man, 
and attentively confider ; thy days are as an 
handbreadih, and thine age is as nothing before 
God ; verily, every man at his bejl ejlate is al- 
together vanity. O what a fhadow, what a 
nothing is thy life ! It is but a fpan in di- 
menfion. a moment in duration ; nay it is 
lefs than both ; it is nothing if compared 
with the unmeafurable extent, and the un- 
numbered days of eternity. Every hour 
from that of thy birth brings thee fo much 

nearer 



FRIENDLY MONITORS, i$3 



nearer to thy death ; nor canft thou con- 
tinue for a fecond of time in one ftay. The 
time pafl: is out of fight like a bird efcaped 
from the hand of the owner. The time 
prefent is flying, like the fivift /hips, or like 
the eagle hajling to its prey. The time to 
come is uncertain. The evening fun may be- 
hold thee dead. — Thus fays health, — Upon 
how many delicate and combined caufes do 
I depend ! How eaflly may fome of thefe 
be deranged ! O mortals, ye are never fafe 
from thofe accidents which may flrike you, 
or .from thofe difeafes whcih may invade 
you. Boafi not yourfehes of to-morrow. — — 
. Children alfo are monitors to which we 
fhould attend. Oh how unanfwerable to 
eager expectation, have events often proved, 
in refpect to children ! This fame jh all com- 
fort us, has been faid of many a child, who 
has been difmembered or fickiy in body, 
be-clouded in underflanding, vicious and dif- 
orderly in life, embarrafled and miferable in 
circumftances. Amidft the fond and flat- 
tering forebodings of the parental mind, we 
behold the care and expence of many years 
carried down to the grave. Friends and 
O property 



*S* FRIENDLY MONITORS. 



property likewife remind us of the frailty 
and uncertainty of all things here below. — 
But what are tha leffons which thefe moni- 
tors inculcate ? They call upon us, to be 
moderate in our attachments and fober in 
our expe&ations. They admonifh us to 
make the Lord God Almighty, merciful, 
and gracious, our truft, our refuge, and our 
confidence. Their friendly voice thus crieth 
aloud; Creatures are broken reeds, on which 
if you lean they will go into your hands and 
pierce them. But God is the rock of fa!- 
vation. He will net deceive you. He can- 
not dilappcint you. His power is almighty, 
his word is faithfulnefs and truth, his love is 
immutable ; his pardons are full, without 
exceptions, and final, without revocations. 
Therefore look unto the Lord ; daily clofe 
: ih his gracious terms ; believe and obey 
fchfe gofpel of Jefus Chrift ; confide in his 
unfpotted, unchangeable righteoufnefs ; live 
on his immutable perfections and promifes 
in every condition, and in every change. 
Lafiiy, thefe friendly monitors call upon us, 
to look beyond this vain and mutable world 
■ o a ftate of folid and unchangeable happi- 

nefs* 



FRIENDLY MONITORS. 



nds* Beholds fay they, behold in the 
gofpel, the path of immortal life ; a king- 
dom that cannot be moved; a region -oi 
reft, of life, of joy, and of glory ; where 
fhadows Ihall be exchanged for lading iub- 
iiance ; where care and 'difappointment are 
unknown ; where enjoyments are embraced 
without fear of lofing them ; where yourfim 
Jhall no more go down, nor your moon ipiti- 
draw her Jhiningj for God is your eyerlajiing 
light, and the days of your mourning are ended. 
The Lord jefus Chrift, who discovered that 
happinefs, can alone put you into the full 
poiTeffion of it. Therefore faith in him is 
neceflary ; and hence again the neceflity of 
habitual reflection on the brevity of life, and 
on the certainty of death, for animating and 

fuch ufeful meditations. Learn to die daily, 
and to live in the faith, the love, the hope, 
and the kolijiejs of the gcfpeh 



Thf- 
<D 2 



}56 The CONDITION of MANKIND. 



LXIV. 
The CONDITION of MANKIND, 

This world is a vaft theatre, in which 
every one appears his moment on the ftage, 
and in a moment difappears. Every fuccef- 
five inftant prefents different fcenery, a new 
decoration. I reprefent thefe viciflitudes to 
myfelf, under the emblem of what is felt by 
a man, who is employed in turning over the 
pages of hiftory. He pores over his book ; 
he beholds on this leaf one people, one king. 
He turns it, and lo ! other laws, other max- 
ims, other a£tors, which have no manner of 

FMM goe)& ancPamtiSer comet)). The people 
are like the waves of the ccean ; like the leaves 
of the wood they pafs away in the hlq/t y and 
other leaves lift their green heads. Think, O 
mortals ! on the age that is pad. The per- 
form who were venerable for age and wifdorn, 
to whom we looked up in early years, have 
w r e not alfo leen going down to the grave ? 
Our fathers where are they ? Are we greater 

than 



The CONDITION of MANKIND. 



than oar fathers ? Is it not meet that we be 
gathered to them? Gathered to our fa- 
thers, not fcattered and loft in the ahyls or 
annihilation ; gathered not to a foreign land, 
nor to perfons unconnected and unknown, 
but to our fathers, the objects of our firfi: 
and pureft love, whole memory is ftill dear 
to our hearts* Our fathers where are they? 
Our hearts enquire after them, and learch 
out the place where they be at reft, and fore- 
bode lying down with them, A father's 
sepulchre is a fchool of - wifdom « One con- 
fid ers there, whence he came, and whither 
he is going,. He reads in humbling and af- 
fecting characters, .duji thou art ^ and to difi 
thou Jhali return* -, He fays to corruptim thou 
art my father. The garment of mortality 
hangs loofe upon .him..— Look forward, ye 
who are young, and think on a time, when 
ye (hail fee thofe who now occupy the world 5 
laid in the grave, and another generation 
arife. Your deiire of feeing many days is 
natural ; and if you add a deiire of ferving 
God, and of teaching wifdom, the wifdom - 
of the gofpel, to the fucceeding race, may 
your defires be accomplifhed.. Still it is 
O 3 meet; 



153 The CONDITION of .MANKIND. 



meet to warn you, that the morning of life is 
often clouded with pain, and darkened with 
the fhadow of death. To warnings of mor- 
tality let your ears and hearts be open. Ga- 
ther the manna of life in the morning of your 
days. Live always like thofe who are dedi- 
cated to the Lord in an everlafting cove- 
nant. Shew to your thoughtlefs fellow 
mortals, that yours is the good part which 
jhall never be taken from you. Pray fervently 
with the Pfalmift ; Ofpare me that I may re- 
cover Jirength before I go hence and be no mere. 
Spare my life, OGod of love, and refpite the 
fatal fentence, until all that hath been de- 
cayed through fin, and the frailty of na- 
ture, be removed by the power of thy grace. 
Let me be perfectly reconciled to thee, thro* 
the Lamb that wasjlain^ and let my pardon 
be fealed in heaven, before I take my hift 
farewell of this world; and ceafe to have an 
exigence in thefe regions of vanity and for- 
row. 



MAN 



MAN FRAIL but IMMORTAL. 139 



LXXV. 

MAN FRAIL but IMMORTAL. 

On the prefent and future condition of 
man the Pfalmift thus exprefies himfelf ; — 
" man's days are as grafs ; as a flower of the 
field, fo he flourifheth. For the wind paf- 
feth over it, and it is gone, and the place 
thereof fhall know it no more. But the 
mercy of the Lord is from everlafting to 
everlafting upon them that fear him. M As if 
he had faid ; man, fallen, mortal man — his 
days are as grafs. Like grafs he cometh 
out of the earth, and continueth but a fhort 
time upon it. As a flower of the field, fair 
but tranfient, fo he unfcldeth his beauty in, 
youth, and flourifheth awhile in the vigour 
of manhood. But lo ! in a moment, the 
breath of heaven's difpleafure, as a blighting 
wind, paffeth over him, and he is gone. He 
boweth his drooping head, andmingleth again 
with his native duft. His friends and compa- 
nions look for him at the accuftomed fpot, 
which he once adorned — but in vain — the 

earth 



160 MAN FRAIL but IMMORTAL. 



earth has opened her mouth to receive him, 
and his place fhall know him no more* Our 
days on the earth are as ajhadovj, and there is 
none abiding. Thus every thing around us, 
joins to point out, and to remind us of our 
frailty. Nature, in her firapleft appearances, 
reminds us con- ihually of this. Cold and 
heat, day and night* fummer and winter, 
feed-time and harveft, perpetually fucceed 
one another, and are of (hart duration. In 
what beautiful and expreffive language, does 
the poet call upon us to mark the viciilitudea 
of the feafons of the year 1 



-Behold, fond man ! 



See here thy pictur'd life : pafs fo'me few years. 

Thy flowering fpring, thy fummer's ardent ftrength > 

Thy fober autumn fading into age, 

And pale concluding winter comes at I~il* 

And (huts the fcene... 

How melancholy and dejecting would this 
reflection be, if we could not extend our 
profpefts beyond the grave ! The vanity of 
the prefent life, affords the ftrongeft preemp- 
tion, if not the cleared proof, of the life to 
come. Can we imagine, that we are only 
totter into the paths of knowledge, and,.. 

after 



MAN FRAIL but IMMORTAL. 161 



after a fhort advance, to proceed no farther ? 
Can we think that we were formed like fome 
infers, to be the creatures only of a day, to 
flutter a little in the fhort fun-fhine of life, 
and then to be extinft for ever ? Or, that 
we were formed flill to be purfuing a happi- 
nefs v/hich we can never attain ? No. The 
all-wife and gracious Creator can do nothing 
in vain. Man's defires, which foar above 
this world, this flower and fliadow of life, 
and w r hich nothing lefs than immortality can 
fatisfy, were doubtlefs planted in his mind 
to inftruct him, that this world is not his All j 
but that if he fulfils the defign of his Creator* 
he fhall afterwards be tranfplanted into a 
happier ftate, where he fhall arrive at his 

vigour to endlefs ages. Thefe hopes and 
intimations which reafon and nature fugged 
as probable, the gofpel of Jefus Chrift moil 
happily eftabliflies and confirms. Uofannah 
to the Son of David, who hath brought life and 
immortality to light. . Though man, who wi- 
thereth like the green herb, fhould not pre. 
fume, yet he need not defpair. The flower 
which feded in Adam blooms anew in Jems 

Chrift,. 



162 MAN FRAIL but IMMORTAL. 

Chrift, the Lord from heaven, never to fade 
again. The mercy of Jehovah in hisMef- 
fiah is everlafling, and of that everlafling 
mercy poor frail man is the objeft. It ex- 
tendeth to all the generations of the faithful 
fervants of God. Death fhall not deprive 
them of its benefits ; nor fhall the grave hide 
them from the efficacious influence of its 
all enlivening beams, which fhall pierce into* 
thofe regions of defolation, and awaken the 
fleepers of fix thoufand years. Even be- 
lieving man muft pay the temporal penalty 
of his fins y but mercy fhall raife him again*, 
to receive the eternal reward > purchafed by 
his Saviour's righteoufnefs. O thou Spirit 
of grace and power! raife me to the life of 

with a lively hope of the inheritance luhicJi- 
fadeth not away 

Death, like an overflowing ftrearo, 
Sweeps us away— -our life's a dream ; : 
• An empty tale— a morning flower 
Cut down and withered in an hour. 

Teach us, O Lord ! how frail is man ; 
And kindly lengthen out our fpan, 
'Till a wife care of piety 
Fit us to die and dwell with Thee. 

I.JpLh 



STATE of THINGS, l$# 



LXXVL 

THE STATE OF THINGS AROUND US, 

All things around us are fubjeft to diffo* 
lution, and are a&ually diffolving. Every 
year we be'hold proofs and fymptoms of this. 
The flowers wither, and the corn is cut 
down. Trees and fhrubs that furvive the 
feafon, yet drop their leaves and wear fymp- 
toms of decay. The mountain oak which 
flouriihed for ages, now ftands a blighted 
trunk, infpiring melancholy. Places re- 
nowned of old for beauty and defence, are 
known to us only by their names and ruins. 
Here and there are ruins of temples where 
our fathers worshipped. Of Jerufalem and 
the temple of Mount Zion, of which fuch 
glorious things are faid, there is not one 
ilone left upon another, Babylon the Great 
is fallen. Families, and ftates, and empires, 
and churches have their rife > and glory, and 
decline. The earth itfelf is waxing old. 
The fun, and ftars, and elements fhall at 
laft diifolve. Years, as they pafs, fpeak to 

us 



154 STATE OF THINGS. 

~~ ~ ■ ■ - - ■ 

us of the ccnfummation of all things. Liften 
to their parting voice. In (till, but folemn 
language, they fpeak of the Angel who fhali 
lift up his hand to heaven, and fwear by 
Him that liveth for ever and ever, Thnejhalt 
be no more. O God of ages, the fource of 
exiftence and duration ! excite me, by the 
viciffitudes which I witnefs around me, to 
fend forth my deflres beyond the fphere of 
mutability and death, and to place my affec- 
tions on that kingdom which cannot be 
moved. I know that all thy works, which 
I behold, fhall perifh. O let it be to me a 
caufe of joy that Thou remained j and that 
after all the changes of material creation. 
Thou art (till the fame Parent and God, 
whofe mercies, whofe promifes, and whofe 
years fhall never fail. 

Spare us, O Lord, aloud \Ve pray, 
Nor let cur fun go down at nocr. j 

Thy years are one eternal day, 

And muft thy children die fo foon : 

Yet in the midft of death and grief, 
This thought our forrows fhall afluage* 

rf Our Father and our Saviour live : 
• Chrift is the fame thro' every n£2/ '* 



HUMAN ENJOYMENTS. 



LXXVIL 

HUMAN ENJOYMENTS, 

Human enjoyments indeed there are, nor 
does our Father grant them with a fparing 
hand ; for he remembers Hva are dujl. Infancy 
and youth, and matured life have their pe- 
culiar, appropriate fatisfaclions. But we 
know from experience that they are fluctu- 
ating that the memory of our earlv iovs is 
all of them that now remains, and that there 
is indeed a melancholy pleafure in remem- 
bering them. In old age the fenfes decay, 
the memory fails, the fire of imagination is 
extinguifhed, the fources of enjoyment are 
gradually dried up. Human enjoyments 
not only fade and decay ; they are often 
blafted in the bud or the bloffom. We fel- 
dom live long without fomething to allay 
our happinefs, to tell us that we are men, and 
that man is born to trouble. Befide the real 
difappointments and evils of life, there are 
imaginary evils. Darknefs overfpreads the 

il . All earthly enjoyments lofe their reKih, 
P Even 



ice HUMAN ENJOYMENTS. 

Even friends difpleafe.— How vain and infuf- 
ficient are human enjoyments! Happinefs can 

never be extra&ed from the. creatures. 

Were we even contented with them as a por- 
tion, we cannot always, we cannot long en- 
joy them. At death, they will fink under 
us, and entirely difappear. Who then, are 
wife ? They only, who trull not in temporal, 
worldly enjoyments ; they only, who look 
for a city which hath foundations^ <wbofe builder 
and maker is God ; they only, who feek hea- 
ven by Jefus Chrift, the living and unerring 
way to it. — Father of lights ! teach me to 
know inyfelf, to know the emptinefs of every 
human enjoyment, to know myfelf, to know 7 
iny large capacity for happinefs, -which thou 
alone, canfl fill. Favour me with faith, and 
hope, and love, thofe fruits of thy Spirit, 
which -fhali ilourifh in the winter of life, and 
which the decay of thefe bodies, and the dif- 
folution of this world cannot deftroy. G 
bring me to that blifsful region, where every 
root of bitternefs fhali be plucked up, and 
where no enemy fhali few his tares any morej 
but where everlafting praife fhali be my em- 
ployment; 



The RENEWED TASTE. Ml 

ployment, and everlafting life, peace, and 
glory my reward. 

Forever bleiTed be the Lord, 

Who gives his faints a long reward, 

For all their toil, reproach, and pain ^, 
Let all below, and all above 
Join to proclaim his wondrous love. 

And each repeat a loud Amsn, 



LXXVIII. 
The RENEWED TASTE. 

The Pfalmift exclaims with rap:ure ? Htm 
fweet, Lord, are thy words unto my tafte j 
yea fweeier than honey to my mouth ! The foul 
hath its tafte as well as the body, and that 
tafte is then in right order when the words 
of Scripture are fweet to the foul, as honey 
is to the mouth. If they are not always fo, 
it is becaufe our tafte is vitiated by the world 
and the fiefli j and we fliall ever find our re^ 
lifh for the word of God to be greateft,when 
that for the world and the flelh is Ieaflr 3 viz. 
in time of affliction, ficknefs, and death; for 
theft are contrary, the one to the ether.— 
The tafte of the Chriitian's foul is renewed 
by the power of the Holy Choll, and he can 

P 2 & 



166 The RENEWED TASTE. 

at all times fay with thePfalmift, Howfweet*, 
Lord, are thy words to ?ny iajle. I biefs 
the Lord my Gcd for this experience be- 
llowed upon me ; for this renewed tafte, 
and for the folacing, abiding fweetnefs of his 
word, In every (tate 5 I am comforted with 
the fw r eetnefs of difcovery, and with the 
fweetnefs of promife, in the word of God. 
O how reviving to my fpirit, are the difco- 
veries of pardon, ofprote&ion, of guidance, 
and of eternal happinefs! But I am trans- 
ported with the divine unchangeable 

promifes; AfTurance of intereft in thefe 
yields joy, unfpeakable, and full of glory. No- 
thing, furely, can break the peace, or damp 
the joy of that foul 3 which by the Spirit of 
faith is one with Jefus Chrift, and therefore 
interefted in all the promifes of the word of 
God. Let the chriftian's crofs be as heavy 
as it will, he has a crown of pardon and life 
to put againft it in the balance of the pro- 
mifes. The gain of the whole world appears 
to the chriftian but as drofs, but as nothing, 
when compared with the joy which arifes in 
his foul, from the well-founded hope of the 
glory to he revealed. Standing on the rock 

of 



The RENEWED TASTE. 169 

of the divine promifes, he can fay with con- 
fidence — " Heaven is mine ; I have a pro 
mife of it now, made to me by him who can- 
not lie, and ere long I (hall have it in full 
poffeffion. Heaven is mine ; and there are 
my God, my Father, my Redeemer, my 
Comforter, my kindred, and the friends of 
my youth- Though I mud pafs through a 
vale of tears, and through the dark valley of 
death, yet how reviving is it to know, that 
I am now in the way that leads to that blef- 
fed kingdom, where every tear (hall be wiped 
away, and where the heart (hall be gladdened 
with the light of eternity, and with the ful« 
nefs of joy/ 5 Then the world, with all its- 
riches and enfnaring pleafures, fades and di£ 
appears. But how Tweet alio, O Lord, are 
the promifes of thy prefence by the way to 
the kingdom of glory 1 Thou haft faid for 
my comfort in the wildernefs ;. / will never 
leave you, J will never forfake you, I will gather 
you with everlafling mereies, my everlajiing 
arms are around and underneath you, ye are 
kepi by the power of God l y through faith unto 
falvaiion, and your joy no man take th from you. 
How' Tweet to my tafte are thefe thy pro- - 
F 3 mifesy. 



170 HEAVENLY DESIRES. 

mifes, O Lord my God ! Therr nature, their 
number, and their extent delight my foul, 
The joys with which they infpire me, neither 
birth,nor external events, nor the difpofitions 
of men, nor difeafe, nor age can affeft. Thefe 
joys attend me in fociety, and forfake me 
not in folitude. When enemies perfecute 
me, they infpire me with courage, and en- 
due me with ftrength. When falfe friends 
abandon me, thefe remain* They folace 
adverfity, and enhance and adorn profperous 
circumftances. They lighten the burdens cf 
life, and difarm death of its terrors. O thou 
Spirit of power ! confirm to me this heavenly 
tafte, thefe tranfporting joys, thefe earnefts 
and foretaftes of celeftial glory. — Amen, 



LXXIX. 

HEAVENLY DESIRES. 

How exalted is that fentiment or defire 
of Job, / would not live alway. Though the 
divine decree, as if he had &id, prevents me 

froiu 



HEAVENLY DESIRES. 



from continuing here alway ; yet if it were 
matter of choice with me, I would not de- 
fire to be always confined to the body, To 
live here alway, as things are now confti- 
tuted, in a world where fin and affii&ion 
prevail, would to me, even with every car- 
nal delight thrown into my cup, be an icu- 
fupportable burden. For I know 7 ", that never 
to die is never to be happy. With the fame 
defire the Apoftle Paul expreffes himfelf— 
/ defire to depart from this world r , and to he 
with Chriji which is far better. The rea?l 
chriftian joins- with the patriarch and with 
the apoftle. And why ? Becaufe he is bona 
from above. Heaven is the native country 
of the regenerate foul. As foon as we are 
made children, we begin to defire the por- 
tion of children, the inloeritance of the faints 
in light. I would not live alway > I defire to de? 
part 9 and to be with Chriji. What makes 
the chriftian think and fay fo ? The Spirit 
dwelling in his foul as an earned, and giving 
him the firft-fruits and foretaftes of heaven. 
As horror of confcience, which is a fore- 
tafte of hell, makes the wicked weary of this 
world, fo an earned of heaven makes the 

faint 



175 HEAVENLY DESIRES. 



faint weary of k too. Often does the longing 
foul exclaim — If the tafte be fo ravin 
what will the whole feaft be ? If the firft 
fruits be fo rich and glorious, what will the 
whole harveft be ? If the provifion I receive 
at the different ftages be (o refrefhing. and 
fupporting, what inexpreffible comfort and 
delight lhall I enjoy, when 1 arrive at the 
end of my journey, and tafte of happinefs 
from its inexhauftible Source ! — / ivould not 
live alway^ I defire to depart. What makes 
the chriftian think and fay fo ? The Spirit 
of Faith, clearing the eye of the foul to dif-- 
cern the truth and reality of heaven. The 
foul by faith penetrates within the veil, and 
defcries the future glories of the juli Be- 
holding, it is affected with invifible realities, 
and therefore accounts all things here but 
as drofs for the excellency of the glory to 
be revealed. — Lvj/juld not live akvay, Idefire 
to depart and- to be with Cbrijh And why ? 
The Spirit of hope and love infpires the fen-- 
timent. Believing, I hope m the Lord my 
Redeemer- Hoping in his mercy, I. love and 
efleem him. Loving him, I readily obey 
and glorify him. Thus I obtain afiuranee 



HEAVENLY DESIRES. ltt 



of the love of God to me. Allured of this 
love, I deflre and long to enjoy him ; my 
foul thirfteth for the living Gcd ; I view- 
temporal things with a facred indifference 
and contempt, and fay with fincere delight,, 
/ would not live alway. Farther, the motives 
which the gofpel prefents, excite the chris- 
tian often to utter the fentiment of the pa- 
triarch and of the apoftle. / would not live 
alway ^ if I could, upon earth ; for this is a 
land of corruption, but heaven is a region of 
perfect purity \ here my life mud be chec- 
quered with forrows, but hereafrer I fhall 
inherit a fulnefs of joy ; on earth Iambefet 
with temptations, but into heaven, my Fa» 
ther's houfe, the tempter cannot enter for- 
ever ; in this world I rauft often be expofed 
to pinching wants, but in the world to come 
I fhall poffefs abundance of all things fuit- 
able and fatisfactory j here I muft often be 
diftra&ed with fears, but hereafter I {hall be 
bleffed with that perfect love which caiteth 
out fear for ever j on earth every thing fe 
fading and uncertain, but in heaven every 
thing is certain and permanent, every thing 
is real and fubftantial good. — I would not live 

alway % 



HEAVENLY DESIRES. 



alway, I defire to depart , and to be with Chriji 
which is far better. What an excellent, de- 
firable temper of rnind ! What lingular and 
elevating motives ! Behold the truth and 
reality of heaven. The believer hath a 
home, It is not in this world ; he would not 
live alway. The Deity does nothing in vain. 
The Holy Ghoft who implants this defire, 
thus infallibly aifures him of a future eternal 
felicity* O how much does the christian's 
happinefs exceed that of the worldling ] — - 
The worldling has much in hand, but he 
has nothing in hope. The believer hath an 
ample, fatisfying portion, both here and here- 
after. — Shall I ever be impatient or difcon- 
tented ? No. I will be patient, contented, 
and refigned. The ftorm will foon abate, 
and when it ceafeth, I {hall reach the har- 
bour of everlafting repofe, - O Lord, my 
Redeemer ! How amazing is thy grace ! 
how imfpeakably tranfporting are the blef- 
fings of thy purchafe ! It is thou who haft 
allured- me of heaven, by thy word and fpirit 
in my mind, and on my heart. What fhall 
I render unto thee, O Lord, my deliverer 
andftrength! Myfoul.fhall fmcerely and 

uhceafingly 



IRRESOLUTE FAITH. \U 



tinceafingly join with the redeemed in hea- 
ven, who fay, Salvation^ and bkfling, and 
gfary, and honour \ and dominion , and thanks- 
giving, be afcribed unto the Lamb for ever and 
ever. — Amen. 



LXXX. 

IRRESOLUTE FAITH. 

When Alexander had divided his wealth 
among his friends, fome ventured to afk him, 
'What he had referved tor himfelf ? To this 
lie anfwered with firmnefs, I have referved — 
Hope. How much does the man of the 
world put many chriftians to fhame ! He is 
a rare chriftian indeed who can part with 
all for jefus Chrift, and live by faith and 
hone* Alas-i when the world muft be re- 
nounced for Chrift, when men muft lofe 
what they have of this world, in hope of 
^finding it again in heaven, the running, heed- 
lefs profeffor of the gofpel inftantly halteth, 
-turneth, and goeth back forrowful, A de- 
ceitful 



176 IRRESOLUTE FAITH. 

ceitful world, in league with a deceitful heart, 
is but toofure to lead mankind to their ruin. 
Crates, the philcfopher, in a temped, threw 
his goods into the fea, in order tofave him- 
felf, exclaiming at the fame time, Ego vos 
tnergam, ne ipfe mergar a vobis ; that is, I will 
drown you, left you jhould drovjn me ; for he 
thought wealth and fafety were incompa- 
tible. But how many chriftians are there 
who fall far fhort of that excellent heathen ; 
who, in the way to true felicity., throw away 
themfelves, their immortal all, to fave their 
gold ! Rather than cad their bread upon the 
waters, they will throw themfelves into the 
ocean. But this is a truth, that he hath no 
part at all in Chrift, who will not part with 
all for Chrift > that he lives but the life of 
fenfe, who cannot make a living out of a di- 
vine promife ; and that every chriftian is a 
martyr in refolution. Therefore, O .Lord, 
of what I have, freely take what thou calleft 
for. Thou art my portion, and wilt be 
my endiefs reward. Thus bleiTed, I have 
enough, nay a rich abundance to live on» 
Surely I have a goodly heritage. O let me 

- be 



The HEROISM of FAITH. 



be kept by thy mighty power through faith 
unto falvation. 

Oh, for a ftrong— a lafting faith, 
To credit what th' Almighty faith ! 
T' embrace the meflage of his Son, 
And call the joys of heaven our own. 

Then, fhouid the earth's old pillars (hake, 
And all the wheels of nature break ; 
Our fleady fouls would fear no more. 
Than folid rocks when billows roar. 



LXXXL 

THE HEROISM OF FAITH. 

What is there great and magnanimous in a 
hero of the world ? Patience to endure fa- 
tigue, to furmount difficulties, and to fuffer 
contradiction ; intrepidity in the mod fright- 
ful dangers ; prefence of mind in the mod 
violent and painful exercifes; unfhaken firm- 
nefs in fight of a near and terrible diffolution. 
Though thefe are difpofitions of mind, that 
fcem to elevate man above humanity ; yet a 
chriftian hero is capable of all this, No 
difficulty difcourages him, no contradi&ion 
Q^ difconcerts 



178 HEROISM o** AITH. 

— »■ • 

difconcerts him, no fatigue Hops him, no 
dangers affright him, no pain but he can 
bear, no appearance of death fhocks him 
into palenefs, and fear, and flight. Our 
confeffors and martyrs, even our women and 
children, have literally performed greater ex- 
ploits of fortitude,patfence, courage and con- 
ftancy, in prifons and in dungeons, at flakes 
and on fcaffolds, titan Alexanders and Cse- 
fars in all their lives. The former had no 
fpedtators but God and their own confidence; 
the latter were fupported by the prefence of 
thoufands of witneffes. And were we to ex- 
tend the comparifon, we might eafily prove 2 
that the worldly hero is incapable of per- 
forming fuch exploits as the chriftian hero 
performs ; and that he who was firm and 
fearlefs in fight of fire and flame, at the 
found of warlike inftruments, becomes fee- 
ble, mean and enervated, by a feducing and 
enchanting objeQ:. Author and Finifher of 
my faith ! Teach me to abide by the prin- 
ciples of thy gofpel. Let me never be dif- 
mayed at the greatnefs of my work ; but a!« 
ways feel, to my unfpeakable comfort, that 
gredtit is he thai is in me. than he that is in 

the 



The. LIFE of FAITH, no 

the world. Let grace come to the aid pf 
nature ; let prayer acquire firength by exer- 
cife ; let the paffions, after having been ty- 
rants, become Haves in their turn ; let mine 
be the faith which over come th the world*— 
Amen* 



LXXXII. 
THE LIFE OF FAITH, 

The life of faith fs the nobleft, the richeft, 
the rnofl pleafant, the mod contented, the 
eafieft, and the trued life ; for faith takes 
the foul out of the hcrofe of Adam, and car- 
ries her into the houfehold of God. It makes 
the foul forget her father's houfe, and er 
poufeth her to the king of glory. It is alfo 
the moll pleafant life. For faith lives upon 
the choiceft excellency, and on the higheft 
felicity. It is often wrapt up into the third 
heaven, and there enjoys a repaft in. inex- 
preffible glory, It walks in the paths of 
pleafantnefs ; and, under all the heat of af- 
fliction, fhelters itfelf under the fhade of the 
Qjz tree 



J S3 The LIFE of FAITH. 

tree of Ufe, wbkh is in the midft of the para- 
dife of God. This is likewife the richefl life. 
If our defires be according to our wants, it 
is impofiible that we fhould want above what 
we defire. Every man hath according to 
his faith. Be it unto thee, faith the Lord, 
accord'mg to thy faith. Doft thou defire par- 
don, joy, peace, holinefs in all its parts, and 
glory everlading ? Thy defires {hall be ac- 
complifhed in all their extent. The life of 
faith is, farther, the mod contented life. — 
Faith carries the fading creature, and lays 
him upon Jefus Chrid. Under all mutabi- 
lity, it dill holds fad all Sufficiency, and fo 
fits down contented. The life of faith is, 
next, the eafied life. Faith looks not on 
the ftriftnefs or the difficulty of duty, but 
on the power and drength of the Lord. — 
Therefore, if it meet with a hard precept, it 
diilolves it into a comfortable promiie, car- 
ries it to its living Head, and pleads till it 
hath drawn out a proportionable drength to 
facilitate the duty. In fine, the life of faith 
is the trueft, the only life. For he is dead 
in fin, that doth not live bv faith. There- 
fore, as oae laid, non vivere r fed vulcre, vita 

eji ; 



The TRIUMPH, of FAITH. 18! 

ejl ; i. e. not to live well, but to be well, is life ; 
ib may I fay, Not to live well only, but to be- 
lieve, is to live, and to live well indeed. Thro' 
this life, may I poflefs the peace and joy of 
believing, and beyond it may my faith be 
turned, into the beatific vifiott-of God, 



LXXXITI. 

THE TRIUMPH OF FAITH. 

€3" my foul ! doit thou complain of the 
Battle? But in order to conquer thou mud 
fight. Thou knoweil where to obtain fuc- 
cour._ Through the firength of thy Re- 
deemer thou canftdo all things. Gird en. 
the fiiield of. faith, and take in thy hand, 
the f word, of the fpirit*. Then, over all thy 
foes, thou fhalt be more than a conqueror,. 
He who calleth thee to the combat, -lovetlv 
thee.. His love is ftroirger than death. He 
is gracious and mighty to fave, to affifl, and 
to reward. Fight in his firength,. and thou 
fhalt conquer and triumph. The glorified 
faints were once warriors, and are now con- 
querors. Fleih, and earth, and hell were 
Qr thei 



182 The TRIUMPH of FAITH. 



their enemies. Faith, and hope, and love, 
and all other chriftian virtues, were their ar- 
mour. The clouds were their triumphal 
chariots. Angels, thoufands of angels, ten 
thoufand times ten thou/and, and thoufands cf 
thoufands , who wait continually before God, 
were their witnefies. The approbation of 
the Sen of God, this rapturous declaration, 
Well done, good and faithful fervanty .well 
done, faithful confeilbr, thou haft nobly en- 
dured the crofs ; well done, martyr for the 
faith, thou haft caufed corrupt nature to 
yield to the commandments of God : — thefe 
extatic declarations were their crown. Jefus 
Chrift is their rewarder ; and joys unfpeak- 
able and full of glory, peace of foul, tran- 
quillity of confeience, rivers of pleafure,/#//- 
nefs of joy at God* s right hand for evermore, the 
city' thai hath foundations, ferufalem, which is 
above, the heavenly country, new heavens 
and a new earth, the ibviety of angels, per- 
fect knowledge, refined virtues, ineffable fen- 
fations, facred flames of love, God himlelf; 
lo ! thefe are the recompence, thefe their 
great reward, O my God ! the portion of 



my 



The CHRISTIAN'S TREASURE. IS3 

my foul ! let me live the life, and receive 
the reward cf faith. 



LXXXIV. 

The CHRISTIANS PRESENT TREASURE. 

When I look into the treafures of men,, 
perhaps I fee chefts of plate, bags of gold? 
cabinets of jewels, But I fee alfo the mi- 
lery which thefe entail upon the owner, when 
ke ventures abroad* He is unhappy be- 
caufe he cannot carry them without a bur- 
den, nor leave them without a fear. It is 
far otherwife with the believer. His trea- 
sure is always in him. Wherever he is, it 
is with him. As it is tranfcendent for value, 
being the fulnefs of God ; fo it is excellent 
for duration. It is equal to his moft ardent 
wiihes, and lafting as his immortal fpirit. 
To Ovid, in his exile, the thoughts of his 
genius, the reflections of his refined, poetic 
mind, fweetened the lofs of country, of 
fe, and of friends. His foul was invul- 
nerable by C^far's malice, He had a trea- 

fure 



184 A CHRISTIANS treasure. 



lure within him, which fword, famine, and 
captivity could never injure. 

Thus, the fpirit of the .chriftian, which k 
of God, can triumph over the fpirit of the 
world. He has joys which the world can 
neither give nor take away. He has the 
poffefRon of jefus Cbrift, whom he can 
never lofe. Hence, though troubled on every 
fide, he is never diftreflecL in this land of 
banifhtnent and darkneik I may farther 
compare the chriftian to an eminent ghilo— 
fopher* When Bias was put to flight from,. 
his native city, he was afked by thole that 
fled with him,, with all the goods they could 
carry, why he -took nothing with him. He 
anfwered, Qmnia mea mecum porto, that is, I 
carry my all with me. Thus, though the 
world impoverish the believer •; though it 
banifh him and cafl: him out of all that he 
hath, yet he is able to fay, I carry all my 
treafure w T ith me, I hrve my Redeemer j I 
live in him ; I fit with him, as my -reprefen- 
tative, in heavenly places ; he is In me the 
hope cf glory ; I have much m poffefTion, 
and I have ftill more in hope ; and faithful- 
is he who hath prcmfed* How boundlefs, 

G my 



The DAY of GRACE. U5 



O my God ! is thy love. How great is thy 
goodnefs- which thou haji laid up for them that 
fear thee! What will not the felicity of that 
creature be, who gives hirnfelf wholly to 
thee, a3 thou giveft thyfelf to him 1 Let my 
religion be gratitude, fenfibility, and love* 
Let my life and death be peace, 



LXXXV. 
THE DAY OF GRACE. 

Legal days w r ere but like winter days, 
dark and cloudy, fharp andftormy ; and yet 
how many of our fathers travelled to hea- 
ven in thofe days ! But gofpel times are like 
fummer days, fweet.and clear, full of light 
and beauty. We may fay with truth, that 
God hath not been as a cloud of darknefs to 
us j for thefe are days of grace, that are full 
cf the beams of mercy. Yet how flowly and 
fadly do many of us go to heaven ! Nay, 
how criminally do many wafte thefe precious 
days, and neglect thefe golden opportunities' 
Oh ! what time fhall that foul find to repent 



136 The DAY of GRACE, 

in, that fhall be hardened in thefe melting 
times ! Oh I what days fhall that foul find 
to go to heaven in, that (hall idle away thefe 
gofpel days I Oh ! what grace fhall that 
man find for fin, that (hall fin away the day 
of grace ! Oh ! to whom fhall that foul 
appeal, that fhall renounce Jefus Chrift ! 
Oh ! wo unto that foul for ever, upon which 
the fhadows of the evening of death are 
ftretched out, and which is never yet fet out 
for heaven ! But more woful ftill, is the con- 
dition of that man, to whom the clearer and 
fweeter day dots only make the blacker and 
fadder hell. Oh ! what blacknefs of dark- 
nefs is refer ved for that foul, that fhall walk 
in darknefs, in the midft, and under fuchr 
clearnefs of light ! We are thofe that are 
not only lifted up to heaven, but heaven is* 
let down unto us> Oh ! how long fhall that 
man lie in hell, that heaven prefleth down I 
O thou gofpel hearer ! thou art now under 
the clear demonftrations of Chrift, the kind 
invitations of mercy, the large manifeftations 
of love. Therefore take heed to thyfelf, for 
thou (halt go either to heaven or to hell, upon 
the eafieft or the hardefl terms. Now is the 

accepted 



WARNING VOICES. r&l 



accepted time ; behold, now is the day of/aha* 
ilon. Lay down the weapons of thy rebel- 
lion. Turn to the Jlrmg hold^ whilft thou 
art yet a prifoner of hope. Why wilt thou 
die r Come inftantly to Jefus Chrift, and he 
will receive and pardon thee* Believe his 
doctrines, obey his injunctions, confide in 
his promifes, Then (halt thou walk furely^ 
and dwell in perfect fafety ; in life, great 
fhail be thy peace; in death, unfpeakable 
thy joy. Blejfed and holy are they who have 
part in the firji refurreftion ; over them the 
tcond death hath no power. * 



LXXXVL 

WARNING VOICES. 

Methinks 1 hear fix voices cry aloud* The 
firft is the voice of the dying ; the fecond is 
the voice of the damned j the third is the 
voice of my foul ; the fourth is the voice of 
Jefus Chriil ; the fifth is the voice of evil 
times ; and the fixth is the voice of the day 
of judgment. Firft, methinks 1 hear a dying 

man 



WARNING VOICED. 



man thus addrefling the furrounding vifitants 
— Oh! lofe not an inftant of time, for vour 
time is but a moment. Now make fure of 
heaven, for you know not how foon you 
muft leave the earth Confide in Jefus 
Chrift, as the revealer and purchafer of ce" 
leftial felicity ; and he will open the gate of 
heaven, and conduct you into the prefence 
of hit Father and your Father ', of his God and 
y<iur God. Again, methinks I hear the 
damned roaring forth thefe lamentations :— • 
Oh ' come and fee the end of fin, in thofe 
that know no end of forrow. O learn the 
value of time, from thofe that muft fiiffer 
forever for the mifimprovement of time. — 
Next, methinks,! hear my precious foulufing 
thefe expoftulations : Oh my body ! What 
a fool am I to fatisfy thy defires ! Thou art 
but for a moment of time, but I muft endure 
for ever. When thou art wrapt up in rot- 
tennefs, where fhall I fpend my eternity ? I 
might now get heaven for my inheritance, 
angels for my companions, God for my por- 
tion. Why then fhould I lofe my only hap- 
pinefs in order to fatisfy thy momentary, un- 
fatisfa&ory appetites ? Is it not better that I 

fhould 



WARNING VOICES. 189 

fliould carry thee to heaven, than that thou 
fhouldefl carry me with thee to hell ? Yes : 
Therefore let us join in fupplicating the God 
of grace and peace to fan&ify us wholly in 
every faculty, and to prefent us faultlefs be- 
fore the prefence of his glory with exceeding 
joy. And then, methinks, I hear Jefus 
Chrift ufing thefe invitations ; Behold I 
ftand at the door of the heart and knock, 
till my head is filled with dew, and my locks 
with the drops of the night. Here I ftand 
weeping, knocking, begging and waiting. 
Open, O (inner, to me. My tears, my 
groans, my blood, knock, expoftulate, and 
entreat. Open, O precious foul. Let not 
fin lodge in thee, while a Saviour from fin 
is waiting at the door. Let not damnation 
rule within, while falvation waits without. 
Lift up your heads, ye everlafting gates of 
the foul, and I, the king of glory will enter 
in, with pardon, peace, and life everlafling. 
And farther, methinks evil times cry aloud : 
Oh ! be living chriftians, for thefe are dying 
times. Oh: now be zealous, perfevering 
chriftians, for thefe are backfliding days — 
Iniquity, error, intemperance, and immoral- 
R ity 



190 The BEST CHOICE. 

ity abound and prevail. Therefore, be be- 
lieving, hoping, holy people. Now make 
Jefus Chrift your own, for you know not 
what on earth is your own. — And, laftly, 
methinks I hear the voice of the Archangel, 
fummoning the. dead to come forth to judg- 
ment ; arife, ye faints, and take your places 
with God and his holy angels, to judge the 
world ; arife, ye curfed, impious perfons, 
and ftand before the fupreme judge, to be 
judged as you lived in the world, O Lord ! 
let me have grace to hear and fear now, that 
I may fear and rejoice hereafter, and for- 
ever. 



LXXXVIL 
THE BEST CHOICE, 

In every choice, we cannot take, except 
we leave ; cue thing muft be preferred to 
another. Thus the foul that chufeth the 
life of grace, refufeth all things elfe. This 
is the heavenly breathing of fuch a gracious 
ipirit — -Lord! let vain men follow vara 

fafhtofls- 



The BEST CHOICE. IP l 

jgi— aw^wa— —— — 1 1 i -»i«niin»i. mnra «»asai nin —n n . 

fafhions, but be pleafed to clothe me with 
the robe of thy righteouihefs. Let them be 
all glorious without, but let me be all glo- 
rious within, Whilft they -crown themfelves-- 
with rofe-buds, crow T n me, as thou crown- 
eft thy church, with the flars of heaven y 
with the light of thy gofpel in my mind, and 
with the power of it in my heart, Thefe 
fhall fhine, when thofe fhall fade. Let the 
wicked go away with the world as their por- 
tion ; let them have all the fweetnefs, beau- 
ties, glories, and excellencies of the earth j 
but let me have power to tread this vain, 
changeable, and uncertain world under my 
htt. Be thou my Choice, my God, and 
my All. Remember, O my foul, that 
where jefus Chrift is all in all, every thing 
elfe is nothing, yea lefs than nothing, and 
vanity. Always recoiled, that thou haft 
none, or nothing of Chrift, until thou eanft 
fay with truth, None but Cbrifi 7 None but 
Chrifz. Unfpeakabiy blefted are ail who can 
fay fo frith fmcerity, To them then is no 
condemnation. For them tranfgreffion is fi- 
nifhed, Satan vanquifhed, death abolifhed, 

and 
R2 



192 AWAKENING REFLECTIONS. 

and the gate of heaven fa open. Let this 
be my happinefs, O Lord, my Redeemer ! 

Jefus ! thy boundlefs love to me 

No thought can reach, no tongue declare : 

O knit my thankful heart to thee, 
And reign without a rival there. 

O grant that nothing in my foul 
May dwell, but thy pure love alone ; 

O may thy love poflefs me whole ; 
My joy, my treafare, and my crown. 



LXXXVIIL 
AWAKENING REFLECTIONS, 

Three things, methinks, fhould at times 
make a chriftian*s heart to tremble ; firft, 
the brevity of a christian's lire ; fecondly, 
the difficulty of a chriilian's work ; and, 
thirdly, the eternity of a chriftian's end- — 
Our life is hut a withering flower, a flying 
cloud, a vanifhing fhadow, a perilling breath, 
The body refurneth to the dull, and the foul 
goeth fuddenly to its long home. The night 
inftantly coineth when no man can work. 
But what work is to be done in this fhort 
hand-breadth of time ? Great enemies are 

to 



AWAKENING REFLECTIONS. ids 

to be conquered; Sons of Anak to be killed ; 
principalities and powers to be fuhdued ; 
ftrong and dear defires to be mortified ; 
right eyes to be plucked out ; right hands 
to be cut off; flrict rules to be followed; a 
narrow r way -and a (trait gate to be gone 
through ; in a word, a long race to be run 
with a fliort breath ; a great way to be gone 
with a fetting fun. But then, what are we 
to expect, when this taper is out, this breath 
expired ? Even as we have lowed, fo to reap; 
ler to be eternally crowned, or eternally 
damned. Now, therefore, before the fun 
be fet, or the fha'dow of the evening be 
itretched out, whatfQever thy handfindeih to 
> do it with all thy might ; for there is no ' 
?/*, nor device, nor knowledge^ nor lOffdofhy 
m the grave, whither thou gce/I. Father of 
mercies ! for Jefus' fake, teach me by thy 
word and fpirit, to form exalted ideas, even 
of this fliadow of life which 'vaniiheth.— - 
Teach me to embrace it, as a period of for- 
bearance ; to know and improve it as a time 
of vifitation, and a day of falvation. Excite 
me to hufband, with fcfugufous attention, 
all the inftants of it, even the mod minute 

R 3 - snd . 



194 SOLACING REFLECTIONS, 

and imperceptible ; and fo to work for thee, 
O God ! in this moment of time, that I may 
reft for ever with thee, when time fhall be 
bo more. 



LXXXJX. 

SOLACING REFLECTIONS. 

"Moved by the Holy Ghoft, the prophet 
''Ifaiah defcries the time, when Meffiah, the 
meffenger, the angel of the covenant, fhall 
appear upon earth, with the tranfporting 
news of falvation. How beautiful upon the 
mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good 
-tidings, that publifheth peace ; that bringeth 
good tidings of good, that publifheth falvation. ; 
that faith unto Z ion, Thy God reigneth. My 
foul accords with the triumph of the pro- 
phet. 1 rejoice in the tidings of a complete 
falvation from .fin and wrath, through the 
righteoufnefs and death of this illuftrious 
heavenly meffenger. How beautiful is the 
arrival of Immanuel, God with us ! He 
comes from a far country, from heaven, 
from the throne of God, from the depths of 

the 



SOLACING REFLECTIONS. 19$ 



counfels of God. And he comes with the 
tidings of an indemnity offered to the guilty 5 
of an indemnity offered, without exceptions, 
to the guiltieft of the guilty ; of a treafure^ 
precious, and abundant; of a victory over 
iin, and death, and hell ; and of a peace the 
moil defirable ; peace between heaven and. 
earth, by his own blood \ peace external*., 
internal, and everlafting.. O how precious,, 
how excellent to the believing fin-fick foul^ 
are his eflential, perfonal^ mediatorial, and 
relative excellencies! I will believe in his - 
Godhead, million, and offices. I will rely on 
his obedience and death, as a good and folid 
ground of pardon and acceptance with an 
offended Jehovah, O thou angel of the 
covenant ! Let the power of thy grace be 
felt in my heart. Let it appear in my life,, 
that I am a model of thy faving power j and 
that I am faved from the dominion and power 
of fin, as well as from its guilt. Let me 
never forget, that, though mine enemies be 
- fierce and ilrong, yet thou, who art on my 
fide, art ftronger than them all. Blefs me 
witkthofe firft fruits of holinefs, which are, 



to 



REAL PLEASURE. 



to thy people, a pledge of the harveit or 

everlafting glory* 

« 

Sinners rejoice, andfaints be glad ; 

Hofanna ; let ChriitV name be bir 
Ten thoufand honours on his head, 

With peace, and light, and glory reft ! 

In God's own name he comes to bring 

Salvation to our dying race ; 
Let the whole church addrefs their K 
•.With hearts of joy, and fongs of p. 



REAL PLEASURE. 



Formerly, with the world, I accounted: 
the fpirit of a chriftian, a melancholy fpirit j- 
and the ways of holinefs, only unpleafanb 
paths j ways, that lead to the defart of fad 
retirement. But now, by the light and life 
of the Holy Ghoft, I fee and feel, that be- 
lievers have- hidden manna, which the world 
knows not of; — joys unfpeakable which; 
firangers do not meddle with ; and tharther 
clofer and exacter they walk, the purer, and 
fuller, and fweeter are their joys. Formerly 
I was grieved at the very thoughts of part- 



ing. 



REAL PLEASURE. i9i 

ing with my pleafures, my worldly delights, 
in order to embrace foul-humbling, felf-de- 
nying duties. But now, I blefs my God, I 
can fay with St. Auguftine, qudm fuave 
fuavitatibus ijiis carere ! that is, Oh ! how 
jmeet is it to want my former fweetnefs ! It is 
now my rejoicing to be without my forme? 
joys. For now I fee there is a heaven in 
the way to heaven ; and that one look of 
faith, one fmile of my Redeemer, one glance 
of heaven, one grape of Canaan, one glimpfe 
of my crown of glory, yield more fweetnefs, 
contentment, and comfort, than all the corn, 
and oil, and wine ; than all the pleafures 
and delights which the world affords. Let 
none then ftaiid off for want of pleafures, for 
here they (hall not lofe them, but only change 
them, O thou confolation of Ifrael ! con- 
tinue to be the author, the matter, and the 
ground of my comfort. Live in me at pre- 
fent, and let me live in thee for ever, 



Tw 



I$8, The CHRISTIAN'S AIX. 



XCK 

THE CHRISTIAN'S ALL. 

Solomon tried many conclufions, but not 
one toot, but the laft, the fear of God. O 
my foul ! thou may eft tire thyfelf with a va- 
riety of objects, yet none will fatisfy but this, 
the fruition of thy God* He only is the 
plenary and primary good. He only is the 
efficient and fufficient fulnefs. As it was 
faid of manna, that it was the delight of 
every palate, fo it may be faid of Jefus 
Ghrift ? that he is the fulnefs, the fatisfattion, 
the all of the foul O tafte and fee, then 3 
how good, how precious, and how fatisfying/ 
the Lord is. What is the reafon we run 
after fuch a variety of creatures ? Becaufe 
we cannot find fufficiency in one, Were 
one herb as virtual, or one flower as deleg- 
able as the colle£lion r we would never' trouble 
ourfelves to gather -many; Take up thy reft, 
then 5 O my foul ! in the chrefeft and choicefl: 
good, which comprehendeth all other goods. 
Thofe golden rays of goodnefs, that lie fcat- 
tered hi the creature, .are only to be founds 

coniunftivelv 



The CHRISTIANS ALL. I9« 



conjunctively nrJSod. Thofe pur:- ingre- 
dients that conftitute the higheil excellency, 
the largeft good, the fulled perfe&ion, >are 
only to be found colleftively in him. Know- 
eft thou any thing profitable, delegable, or 
defirable in the creature .? Thou mayeft fee 
it in thy God, and find it in thy Redeemer; 
or fee and find it in that glory of God, that 
iliines in the face of Jefus Chrift. Art thou 
in captivity ? He is thy Redeemer. Art 
thou wounded ? He is thy good Samaritan, 
Art thou broken-hearted? Go to Jefus Chrift^ 
and he will bind it up with the healing ap- 
plications of his word and fpirit. Art thou 
fick ? He is thy phyfician. Art thou perfe- 
euted ? He is thy refuge. Art thou hungry 
and thirfty ? He is the living bread, and the 
flowing, fatisfying ftream. Art thou weary 3 
He is thy reft. Art thou in poverty ? He is 
an inexhauftible treafury. Art thou in dif- 
,-grace or contempt ? He is thine honour. 
Art thou dull and heavy? He is a quicken- 
ing fpirit. Wouldeft thou have grace ? He 
is the fountain- Wcmldft thou have hea- 
ven ? He is the way. He Jhall guide thee by 
'his counfel) and afterward receive thee into 
glory. Therefore, let that man^s name be 

written 



pp 
200 The KNOWLEDGE of CIIR] 



written in the duft, who .leaves the flow- 
ing fountain, to quench his third at a broken 
cittern.^ Why fhouldl tire myfelf in gathering 
drops of honey from fo many dying flowers, 
when I can fatisfy myfelf with ftreams of 
fweetnefs and confolation in the living Re- 
deemer. May it pleafe thee, O Father of 
light 2nd life ! that my fulnefs, and my all, 
fhculd dwell in Jefus Chrifl;. 



XCII. 

The KNOWLEDGE of CHRIST. 

Eudoxus was fo affected with the glory of 
the fun, that he thought he was born only to 
behold it. Much morefhould achriitian judge 
himfelf born only to behold and delight in 
the Lord Jefus Chrifl, the Sun of righteouf- 
nefs. Alas ! how much time is fpent in o- 
ther ftudies, in vain difcourfes, in empty, 
worldly employments ' How httle in fearch- I 
ing for the knowledge of Chrifl ! But with- 
put this knowledge, we can perform no 
duty, and enjoy no comfort. Unlefs we 

know 



The KNOWLEDGE of CHRIST. 20 1 

know him in his perfon, offices, righteoui- 
nefs, and grace, we can neither believe nor 
hope in him ; we can neither love nor obey 
him. But if we thus know him, we know 
enough to revive and tranfport our fin-fick 
fouls. By this knowledge, we may raife a- 
Jiother paradife here below, may make a 
lower heaven upon earth. For this is life 
eternal, to knozu thee the only true God, and 
Jefus Chrijl wljom thou hajifent. To know 
Chrifl in the evidence of his love revealed 
to us, and to know 7 him revealed in us, is 
the hope of eternal glory, the pledge, the 
earned, and the very entrance of heaven. — 
For what is the perfection of grace, but the 
fulnefs of his knowledge ? And what is the 
confummation of glory, but the felicity of 
his fulnefs ? Why wilt thou then, O chrif- 
tian, be dejected at the want of thofe gifts, 
with which imfanctified men are very often 
adorned ? One drop of knowledge taught 
by the Spirit of God, is more excellent in 
itfelf, and of more value to thee, than an 
ocean of human knowledge and acquired 
gifts. O Lord my Redeemer ! be my 
teacher and my guide. Send forth the 
S Spirit 



$pa The KNOWLEDGE of CHRIST. 

Spirit to lead me into all truth ; to teach me 
the evil of fin, the worth of thyfelf, the ne- 
ceility cf regeneration, the myftery of faith, 
and the way of communion with God in 
duties. Be every day adding to my know- 
ledge, that at my laft I may be perfect — ■ 
Let knowledge conduct me to faith, and 
faith to. hope, and hope to love, and love to 
hclinefs in all its parts, and holinefs to hap- 
pinefs and glory. 

Let them neglect thy glory, Lord, 

"Who never knew thy grace ^ 
But cur loud fongs fhall ft ill record 

The wonders of thy praife. 

Ebfanna ! let the earth and fides 

Repeat the joyful found ; 
Rocks, hills, and vales reflect the voice 

In one eternal rcund. 



;LOY£ 



LOVE to CHRIST. WlF 

XCilT. 
LOVE TO CHRIST, 

Godly forrdw, like weeping Mary, feeketh- 
and findeth Carift. Justifying faith, like 
wreftiing Jacob, findeth and holdeth Ghrift, 
Holding hiri fad, it exclalais with the Pa* 
tfiarch, / will not lei thee go*, until thou blefs 
me. Heavenly love, like the affectionate 
fpoufe, dvvelleth with Chrift. That love 5 
imparted by the fpirit of power, crucifies the 
heart to a.finful world, It defires to enjoy- 
much of the prefence of the perfon beloved. 
It centres no lower than heaven itfelf. It 
dwells with Jefus Chrift the Beloved. The 
love of the world' and ; of fin, it boldly and 
conftantly excludes from the heart. It fa- 
crificeth to Chrift, whatever comes in com- 
petition with him. If it ever regards the 
creature, it is only as that creature is a ftep 
to advance it nearer to its Creator and Lord. 
The foul that is filled with this love, delights 
in the gofpel and its heavenly, precious doc- 
trines, carefully obferves the commands, and- 
ordinances of Chrift, and exhibits a pure, 
S 2 difinterefted. 



<•■ i LOVE to CHRIST. 



difinterefted, and univerfal affeftion to the 

brethren and friends of Chrifl. They who 
Idve the Lord fulfil his new commandment of 
loving one another. They take pleafure in 
the company, in the converfation, in the 
holinefs, in the profperity, and in the fpirit- 
ua! good and peace of the diiciples and co- 
heirs of Ghrift. The habitual language of 
the loving foul is— O Lord, thou art all my 
falvarion, and all my defire ; I would not 
care for heaven were it not for thee ; neither 
would I love myfelf, were I not one with 
thee.: O that I may always feek thee, find 
thee, and love thee fo as that I may for ever 
enjoy thee. Con(ider,0 ye who are ftrangers 
to the love of Jefus Ci rift, confider your 
condition, and try to become wife. Why 
will you fix your affeftions on frail and pe- 
ri filing obje&s ? The Lord dlrecl four hearts 
into the love of Ghrift* May his name be in- 
fcribed on your prayers ; may your fouls 
now bear his image of holinefs, and here- 
after his image of felicity ! 

Now to the Lord that makes us know 

The wonders of his dying love, 
Be humble honours paid below, 

And ftrains of nobler praife above. 

j. o 



CHRIST EXCELLENT awjd GLORIOUS. 20J 

XCIV. 

CHRIST EXCELLENT and GLORIOUS. 

Confider, O believer, what the Lord 
Jems Chrift is in himfelf. View his divine. 
original, greatnefs and majefty. One of his 
Apofiles calls him^the blejjed and only Pbtm- 
fate, God over all, bhjjedfor ever. Another 
of them, even John the beloved diiciple, who 
knew him intimately,. informs us> that he is 
Qiiidi and, thai all things were'madebyhim. The 
fame apoftie, after his afcenfion, beheld him 
m vifion, clothed hi a vsjlure dipt in blood,io in- 
dicate, that he had made expiation for the iins 
of his people ; alfo having, many crowns on his 
head, to denote his numerous ■■ concmefls ; 
and having 071 his vtfture and on his ihifh a 
name written. King of Kings, and Lord of 
Lords, to fignify his univerfal. empire. But 
his dignity, excellence, and glory, what 
tongue of man or angel can declare ? The 
angels in heaven love, worfliip, and obey 
him,-— -View alfo his holineis, his power, his 
wifdom, his faithfulnefs, his compaffion, his 
fuliiefs., and his all-fiifficiency j and fay, is 
S * he 



206 CHRIST EXCELLENT and GLORIOUS. 

■ ■ — -^^s^ s a, .... v . ^—— t f -^^ 



he not mere excellent than mountains of prey, 
the chief among ten thoufand, and altogether 
lovely ? But, Chriftian, confider further what 
the Lord Jefus Chrift will do for thee. He 
will love them that love him, and whom he 
loveth, he loveth unto the end. Behold what 
manner and matter, and permanence of love ! 
To have an intereft in the love of Jefus 
Chrift, is to poffefs the higheft hopes, and 
to enjoy the greateft bleflednefs. He will 
never leave thee norforfake thee ; he will ever 
protect thee; he will counfel and guide thee ; 
he will at lad make thee a joint heir w 7 ith 
himfelf. In glory thou (halt {hare in his 
riches, pofieillons, and blifs. Death, that 
feparates thee from all thy friends, and from 
all worldly blifs, fhall bring thee near to the 
Lord, and to reft for ever with him, in the 
bofom of eternal felicity. — The love of my 
heart is due unto thee, O Lord, my Re- 
deemer ! It is a debt that every redeemed 
firmer owes thee. Affift me to pay this 
debt of love. Daily in this wildernefs, let 
me behold thy glory ; and beyond it, let my 
heart be eternally captivated with thy excel- 
lence. 

WORTHY 



WORTHY is the LIMB. 



xcv. 

WORTHY IS THE LAMB. 

At the birth of the Sovereign Reftorer of 
our race, a multitude of the heavenly hod 
defcended and fling — Glory to God in the 
highefi, and on earth peace, good will towards 
men. After he had expiated fin upon earth, 
and was returned to his native glory in the 
heavens, he favoured his beloved difcipie 
with a glimpfe of that glory, while he was 
yet in the body, and permitted him to hear 
the joyful acclamations of his furrounding, 
admiring attendants. And I beheld, fays 
John, a?id I heard the voice of many angels 
round about the throne, and the living creatures, 
and the elders, and the number of them was ten 
thoufand times ten ihoufand, and thoufands of 
thoufands ; faying with a loud voice — Worthy 
is the Lamb that was /lain, to receive power 
and riches, and wifdo?n, andftrength, and ho* 
nour, and glory, and hlej/ing. How exalted 
are thefe adorations ! How animating their 
found ! What encouraging and ennobling 
ideas do they infpire- 1 Behold, O ye regene- 
rate 



205 WORTHY is the LAMB. 



rate, heaven-horn fouls, behold the glory 
that awaits you ! Here, ye are only a little 
flock, but rc hen ye (land on the heavenly 
mountain, ye (hall appear ten thoufand times 
ten thou/and^ and tboufanck of thoufarids, a 
multitude which no man can number. Though 
ye cannot now reach the elevated notes of 
the redeemed in heaven ; yet it becomes 
you often to imitate, and to emulate them, 
in the church below. Is not this your 
grateful reply — Worthy is the Lamb to receive 
from us, and from all intelligent beings, 
honour, and blejfing, and glory ? Yes ; he is 
worthy ; for he is poffeffed of the.mofl emi- 
nent perfe£tions. Eternity,, ornnifcience^ , 
omnipotence, and immutability, are attri- 
butes of his nature. — Worthy is the Lamb, 
for he is fupremeiy amiable and good, If 
we are reconciled to God, it was he who 
made our peace ; for we have redemption 
through his blood, even the forgivennefs of fins, 
according to the riches of his grace. It pleafed 
the Father by him to reconcile all things to him- 
felf\ and by the blood of his crcfs to unite all 
things in heaven, and things on earth* Again 
Worthy is the Lamb of the praifes of angels 

and 



WORTHY is the LAMB. 209 



and men ; — for by his holy life, and his 
atoning death, he obeyed the law perfectly, 
and paid its awful penalty, for his people. 
Worthy is the Lamb ; for he hath abolifhed 
deaths cancelled the awful fentence of a 
righteous God againft rebellious man, nail- 
ing it to his crop) and fet open the prifon 
doors for his ranfomed to go free. — Worthy 
is the Lamb, for he hath brought life and im- 
mortality ta light. If after this life our fouls 
be carried to the boforn of God, it will be 
by our Saviour's omnipotent hands. Lord 
fefus, faid his departing martyr Stephen, 
Lord Jefus, receive my Spirit. If our bodies 
rife from their graves to a never-ending life, 
he alone will re-animate them ; for he is the 
refurredion and the life ; he that believeih on 
him, though he were dead, yet f hall he live ; 
and whofoever liveth and believeth in him, 
jhail never <//>.— Farther, Worthy is the Lamb, 
for he purchafed, and fent down the Holy 
Ghoft, to enlighten our minds, to renew our 
hearts, to new-model our whole conftitution, 
and thereby to make us meet for the inheri- 
tance of the faints in light. Laftly, Worthy is 
the Lamb ; for his kingdom ruleth over all, 

and 



210 - WORTHY is thl LAMB. 

and of that kingdom there fhall be no end, 
The redeemed in heaven adore and praife 
him, not only as their Redeemer, but as 
Lord of all. My foul fhall imitate their 
praifes, and emulate their exalted drains of 
adoration, To the Lamb thai was Jlain^ I 
will habitually render the homage and ado- 
ration of the mind, of the heart, and of the 
life. I will afcribe the homage of my mind; 
ever acknowleging his equality to the Father 
Almighty, and to the Holy Ghoft ; and re- 
garding him as fapremely wife, fupremely 
powerful, and fupremely happy. I will ren- 
der him the homage of mv heart. I will 
ever regard him as the fource of ail my hap- 
pinefs 5 and joyfully embrace him as my only, 
all-fumcient Saviour, V/orthy is the Lamb. 
I will render him the homage of my life. 
Through his grace, I will perform what he.- 
as my King, commands me. 

Come,, fellow Chriftians, and thus mag- 
nify the Lord. Slaves too long to the 
world, come, and yield yourfelves hence- 
forth to the Lord - f to the love, the praife, 
and the fervice of your great Deliverer. — 
Beholding your affociates, the thoufands cf 

thousands 



WORTHY is the LAMB. 



fhonfands round the throne, quit you like men, 
and be ftrong in the Lord. Lofe yourfelves 
daily in the height and depth, and breadth and 
length cf that l&ve which paffeth knowledge, 
and ftrive to know more and more of the 
inexprefFible felicities of heaven. When a 
vain deceitful world would poifon your real 
enjoyments, know, G know, and refill the 
folly of trying to fatisfy an immortal crea- 
ture with the dull of the earth. Let the 
perifhable nature of things around you, and 
the tranfporting hope that, is fet before you, 
animate and invigorate you, to evince to the 
convidlion of all that behold you, that Jefus 
Chriji- is formed in yeu the hope of 'glory. Ad- 
here to your Mafter and to his caufe. Be 
faithful unto death, and you Jhall receive a 
crown cf life. Soon ihall the pomp and 
glory of this world fade and difappear. Soon 
Ihaii this corruptible fall into the dull. Pre- 
fently ihall your fpirits tafle angelic pleafures. 
Shortly, ihall thefe bodies be re-animated to 
a life of permanent excellency and glory, 
Prefently Ihall thefc feet which now ftand 
in the temple of the Lord, walk the chryflal 
pavement of the new Jerufalenu Yet a little 

while. 



212 WORTHY is the LAMB. 



•while, and the ears which have liflened to 
the joyful found of the gofpel, (hall be 
charmed with celeftial mufic. Yet a little 
while, and the voices that were lifted up in 
the Redeemer's praife in the church on earth, 
fhall fing it in a nobler manner, and {hall 
make the arches of the church triumphant 
refound this glorious hymn — Worthy is the 
Lamb that was Jlain, to receive power, and 
riches, and wifdom, andjlrength, and honour, 
and glory, and blejfing. That this may be 
my portion, and the portion of all who read 
thefe words, of all who hear the invitations 
of the gofpel, grant, O Father of Mercies, 
through Jefus Chrift our Lord. — Amen. 



XCVI. 

DUTY RIGHTLY PERFORMED. 

We ought not to venture on the .perform- 
ance of a duty, unlefs we bring God to it ; 
or to reft fatisfied, unlefs we carry God from 
it. We fhould hear and obey the Pfalmift's 
precept — feek the Lord and his Jircngih* 

feck 



DUTY RIGHTLY PERFORMED. 

feek his face for evermore. Enter not into 
liis houfe without due preparation. Pre- 
viously meditate, examine, and pray. De- 
part not till the light of divine favour rife 
upon thy foul. It is Jefus Chrid that mufl 
fit thee, and it is Jefus Chrifl that mufl meet 
thee ; elfe it will be no ordinance of com- 
fort to thy foul. The chariot is nothing if 
thy beloved is not in it. Therefore, hear 
and follow Saint Bernard's practice — Lord, 
I never come to thee without thee ; / never go 
frcm thee, but <with thee. Bleffed art thou. 
O Chriftian, who, as often as thou prayed, 
or praifed, or heareft the word, or fitted at 
a communion table, carried Chrid to all, 
enjoyed Chrid in all, and bringed Chrid 
from all. Happier is the lead and lowed 
of the fervants of Jefus, than the greateft 
and mod exalted potentate who knoweth 
him not. A day in thy courts is better than a 
thou/and in the tents ofwickednefs. If this be 
the cafe upon earth, how much more in hea- 
ven ! O come that one glorious day, whofe 
fun fhall never go down, nor any cloud ob- 
fcure the ludre of his beams ; that day, 
tf ken the temple of God fhall be opened in 
T heaven t 



214 GODLY SORROW. 

heaven, and we fhall be admitted to ferve 
him for ever therein ! 

O Lord ! in all my approaches to thee* 
let me go out in thy itrength, and return in 
thy prefence. 

How lovely, how divinely fweet, 
O Lord, thy {acred courts appear ! 

Fain would my longing palnons meet 
The glories of thy prefence there. 

O bleft the man, whom ftrength divine, 
With ardent love and zeal infpires,; 

Whofe Heps to thy. bleft. way. incline, 
With willing hearts and warm defires* 

Thou pour'ft thy kin deft bleilings down, 

Profufely pour'ft on fouls fincere ; 
^A.nd grace fhali guide, and glory crows 

The favourite obi eels of thy care. 



xcvri. 

GODLY SORROW. 

Like water, the ftream of forrow afcends 
no higher than the fpring from whence it 
came. If I mourn for fin, only becaufe it 
hath wounded my foul, -armed the whole 

courfe 



GODLY SORROW; 2*4 



courfe of nature againft me, and difpofTefTed 
me of what is valuable in this world, it is 3r 
fign that this ftream of forrow flows from a 
natural heart, for it afcends only to a natural 
height. But if I weep for fin,. becaufe it is of- 
fenfive to God, becaufe it hath wounded my 
Redeemer, becaufe it required the blSod of 
Jefus Ghrift to expiate it, becaufe it hath 
pierced that heart that loved me*— then, 
doubtlefs, the fpring of my forrow is in hea- 
ven, for my grief for Tin rifes to a fuper- 
natural afcent. O thou Spirit of power and 
holinefs ! that my forrow may be found, 
pierce my heart for fin,. becaufe. fin ftrikes 
through my foul, and pierces my Surety, 
Aid me to look upon Him whom my fins 
have pierced* and to mourn and weep over 
them with true repentance. Enable me fo 
to repent, and< fo to requed forgivenefs in 
the name of my Surety, jefus Chrifl, that 
the Father of mercies may regard my exer- 
cifes and grant my petitions. O witneis 
with my fpirit, that I am one of thole poor, 
lowly, contrite, and humble ones, whom 
God, for Chrifi's fake, regards with com- 
placency and joy, and that every (lep which 
T 2 I take 



*16 REMAINING SIN. 



I take towards the grave, is bringing ms 
nearer to his throne of glory* 

Was it for crimes that I had done, 

He groan'd upon the tree ? 
Amazing pity \ grace unknown ! 

And Jove beyond degree ! 

Strike, mighty grace, my flinty foui, 

Till melting waters flow, 
And deep repentance drown mine eyes 

In undiffernbled woe. 



XCVIIL 
REMAINING SIN. 

O my foul ! thou art always praying, and 
always driving, but fin is always ftirring,— 
Thou feareft the truth of grace, becaufe thou 
findeft the indwelling, and the working of 
fin. But it will always be fo. Thou canft 
not come out of Egypt, but Amalek will lay 
wait in the way. Corrupt nature will be 
fure to trouble and to vex thee, but it fhall 
never be able to conquer thee. Therefore, 
when thou feeft a man at reft in fin, thou 
mayeft juftly conclude, that Satan, theftrong 

man 



REMAINING SIN- 217 

mem armed) is there, becauie his kingdom is 
in peace. But when jefus Chriji is in the 
foul the hope of glory, there will always be 
war with fin, I know, that while I live, fin 
will have its being in my mortal body. The 
ivy will (till be twilling about the houfe — 
There is no deilroying it until the wall is 
taken down. Sin was the parent of death ; 
and death only mull be the tomb of that hi- 
deous parent. God would have my foul 
humbled. Therefore, tho' he hath broken 
my prifon, yet he hath left the chain upon 
my feet. God would have my graces exer- 
cifed. Therefore, though he hath translated 
me into the kingdom of grace and life, yet 
be hath left the Canaanite in the land. God 
would have my faith exercifed. Therefore, 
Goliah ftill fnews himfeif in the field, that I 
may go out againft him in the name of the 
living God. In that name, therefore, I will 
go out and fight him. Like David, 1 will 
put off the armour, the helmet, and the 
fword of Saul. I will humble mine own 
abilities, and betake myfelf to the ftrength 
of the Lord. Thus, though I cannot pre- 
vent the rebelling power of fin, yet I will 
T 3 always 



218 TEMPTATIONS. 



always obftruft and hinder its governing 
power. As I will aways grieve that fin ex- 
ifts, fo I will always be careful that it may 
never thrive. Though fin may live in me ; 
yet, through the grace of my Redeemer, I 
will never live in fin. Spirit of power ! 
confirm my refolutions, and help me againfi 
fciy manifold infirmities. 

Where high the heavenly temple Hands, 
The houfe of God not made with hands ; 
A great High Prieft our nature wears. 
The Guardian of mankind appears* 

With boldnefs, therefore, at the throne, 
Let us make all our forrows known ; 
And afk the aid of heavenly power* 
To help us in the evil hour. 

# 



XCIX. 

TEMPTATIONS. 

Chriftian ! thou mufl not pray fimply 
againft temptations, but only againfi the evil 
of them j for thou mayeft be tempted, and 
yet not overcome ; a caftle may be affaulted, 
and yet not taken. If the tempter excite an 

evil 



TEMPTATIONS. £19 

evil motion, and thou reje&efl it, this is not 
thy fin, but the tempter's only. This (hall 
be a fparkling jewel in thy crown of victory, 
but an aggravating item in his day of judg- 
ment. Why, O Chriftian, art thou fo ter- 
rified at the roaring of a lion, as if he could 
not rage, but he mud devour ? as if grace 
and temptations could not ftand together ? 
or as if the fame trials were not accomplifh- 
ed in thy brethren ? Spiritual wickednefs is 
to be found in heavenly places. It is a fure 
evidence the tempter takes thee for one that 
will tread upon his head, when he is fo for- 
ward to bruife thy heel. It is a comfortable 
affurance that if Chrifi is thy Captain to lead 
thee in, he will be thy champion to bring 
thee out. Blefled be his name, he is not 
dead in vain ; neither can his conquefl be 
defeated, or his merit cancelled, or his fer- 
vants enfiaved, without his confent If thou 
wilt ferve the powers that are conquered, 
and fubmit to the tyrannical matter that is 
under thy feet, thy flavery is from thy folly, 
and thy condemnation from thyfelf. There- 
fore, always watch againft temptations, and 
.always hate what thou canft not hinder. — 

So 



2.'0 TEMPTATIONS. 



So fhall temptation be only as a file to beau- 
tify thy foul, and as a fword to wound thy 
adverfary. So fhall it be thy joy to fall 
into temptation, and the tempter's mifery to 
fall into his ownfnare. Oh ! roufe up your 
courage, ye ranfomed of the Lord. Aflert 
your privileges, ye children of light. Shake 
off your fetters, ye heirs of immortality. — 
Your chriftian privileges are upon a better 
eftabliihment than either morality could 
chelate, or the law of Mofes entail upon any 
of its profelytes. Let not your Lear Is be 
troubled at afflictions, nor your courage dif- 
mayed at dangers. Thus adds your Lord, 
ye believe in God, believe alfo in me ; reft upon 
my profnifes, and be fatisfied with my me- 
rits • In my Father's houfe are many may f ions; 
I go to prepare a place for you ; and if I go to 
prepare a place for you, I will come again , and 
receive you unto myfef, that where I am, there 
ye may be alfi. O thou lover of fouls, pre- 
ferver of men, and protestor of faints ! let 
thy ways be known upon the earth, and thy 
faving health amongst all nations. Secure thy 
ranfomed from a return to fiavery, and for- 
tify thy tempted children againft the wiles 

and 



TEMPTATIONS. 221 



liratagems of Satan, O give'them a paffage 
out of temptations ;, either diverting the 
ilorm, or directing the diftreffed out of dan- 
ger, or comforting and Supporting them by 
spiritual confolations in it; Father of mer- 
cies ! when temptations befet me, when 
fnares are in the way, or the adverfary of 
fouls makes proposals to feduee me into per- 
dition, Oblefs me with a well grounded faith, 
and its victorious confequences j even with 
seal to encounter j or with power to remove, 
or with patience to endure. 

What though, while here, we ofc muftfeel 

Temptation's keen eft dart, 
0ur tender High Prieft feels it tOQjv 

And will appeafe the fmart. 

O may we ne'er forget his grace, 

Nor blufh to wear his name ! 
Still may our hearts hold faft his faith,-. 

Our mouths his praife proclaim i 



SUPPORT 



M2 SUPPORT in DISTRESS. 



c 

SUPPORT in DISTRESS. 

When Julius Csefar was once crofling an 
arm of the fea, in a fmall bark, unknown to 
any one in it, a temped arofe, and danger 
appeared. Perceiving the courage of the 
pilot to fail, he exclaimed proudly, Confide^ 
fcias te C afar em vehere ; that is, fear net, for 
know that thou carriejl Csefar. With far 
greater confidence, in the midft of deferf ions*, 
affli&ions, and tribulations, may the Chris- 
tian exclaim — Fear nothing, O my foul, for 
thou carried Jems Chrift ; the Lord Al- 
mighty is thy guide, thy protestor and thy 
rewarder. Every believer can with joy rea- 
fon with St. Paul;. He that fpared' not his 
own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how 
jhall he not with him freely give us all things ? 
What, may the Chriftian add, what though 
the windows of heaven be opened for a 
florm, or the fountains of the great deep 
broken up for a flood ;. and there be defer- 
tions from above,and afflictions from below? 
Yet God that fitteth in heaven, will not cafl: 

away 



SUPPORT in DISTRESS. 22S 

away his Son. Jefus Chrift, that liveth in 
me, will not allow me to fink. The fwel- 
- ling waves, I know, fhall only fet me nearer 
to heaven, and the raging \vinds fhall only 
excite me to awake my Mafter. Prize thy 
-Redeemer, O my foul. Thefe waters 'fhall 
not drown thee, therefore they need not 
alarm thee. For while I fail with Chrift, I 
am fure to land with Chrift. How great, 
-O Lord, is the fum of thy mercies to thy 
.chofen people ! To them thefe mercies are 
4iew every moment, and more in number 
than the iands on the fea-fhore. I rejoice 
that thou condu&eft me. I blefs thee for 
informing me, that on the ocean of trouble, 
thou> Lord, art there ; and that, under thy 
guidance and protection, I am fure of wea- 
thering the ftorm. 

'Supreme in wiiHom and in power 

The Rock of Ages ftands ; 
Tho' him thou canfl not fee nor trace 
The working of his hands. 

He gives the conqueft to the weak, 

Supports the fainting heart ; 
'And coui'age in the evil hour, 

His heavenly aids impart. 

JOY 



«?4 JOY in TROUBLE. 



CI. 

JOY IN TROUBLE. 

How reviving in trouble are the promifes 
of the word of God ! Thus faith the Lord 
to his ele£t \*—When thou pajfefl through the 
waters I will be with thee^ and through the 
rivers they Jhall not overflow thee ': When 
thou walkeji through the fire thou Jhalt not 
be burned^ neither Jhall the Jlame kindle upon 
thee. Fear not? I am with thee ; be not 
difmayed, I am thy God* I will Jlrengtheti 
ihee y yea I will help thee^ yea I will uphold 
thee with the right hand of my Righteouf- 
nefs. I can readily and firmly rely on the 
accomplifhment of thefe promifes. God is 
able to help and to comfort the diftreffed 
faint. He compaffionates, and loves, and 
values his people. Their perfons, their 
prdence, their graces, their fellowfhip, their 
prayers, and all their fervices, he loves un- 
changeably, for their Surety's fake ; there- 
fore he will be with them to fupport and to 
folace them in trouble. — God is alfo a fa* 
ther^ a friend, a phyfician, and a fhepherd 

to 



JOY in TROUBLE. 225 



to his people. Therefore he can never forfake 
them, but muft be always near to them in the 
time of trouble. Befides, all his declarations, 
all his promifes, concerning his fervants, are 
the declarations, andpromifes of a covenant- 
keeping God ; and the conflant interceffion 
of their great High Prieft he heareth, and 
regardeth, and anfwereth always. O how 
cheering, how fupporting are thefe affurances 
to the fuffering, tried Chriftian ! When I 
am afflicted, let me enjoy thy reviving pre- 
fence, O God of confolation! when diftreffed 
with a confcioufnefs of guilt, lift upon mc 
the light of thy countenance, and whifper to 
my foul thefe animating words, this reviving 
promife of my Redeemer j Be of good cheer, 
thy fins are forgiven thee. In affii&ion under 
worldly loffes, revive me with the affurance 
of unfading treafures in heaven, When I 
am diftreffed in mind, difpel, O Father of 
lights ! difpel my melancholy with the hope 
of eternal day, in which no cloud fhall ever 
darken the underftanding. Under bodily 
afBi&ion, fupport me with the affurance of a 
bleffed refurre£tion,in which my re-anjmated 
U duit 



226 HOPE of FREEDOM from EVIL. 

duft fhall be fafhioned like to the glorified 
body of my Redeemer, When almoft dif- 
confolate under the lofs, the death of dear 
and pious friends, O apply thefe words with 
power to my mourning fpirit ; Blejfed are the 
dead that die in the Lord, for they reft from 
their labours ; and they fhall fee his face ; — 
Them that fleep in Jefus will God bring with 
him* Whenever my thoughts are forrowful, 
O let thy comforts delight my fouL Let me 
know with the aflurance both of faith and 
of fenfe, that all my deeps of trouble are 
paved with thy everlafting love* 



CII. 

HOPE of FREEDOM from EVIL, 

Expofed to many fore temptations, called 
to contend with an hofl of foes, and at times 
oppreffed with fears and perplexities, with 
mental and with bodily afflictions, my heart 
wcuidfoon faint, and my hands turn feeble, 
if I did not enjoy the profpedl of fweet re- 
pofe, after all the toils and dangers of my 

earthly 



HOPE of FREEDOM from-EVIL. 227 



earthly pilgrimage. In the perplexed and 
fearful fituations which I often meet with^ 
O how fweet and refrefhing are the promifes 
of my Redeemer ! He hath not only pro- 
mifed to give his life a ranfom for me, but 
alfo to redeem me from the grave, to come 
again and receive me into that kingdom of 
life and bleflednefs, which he hath purchafed 
and prepared for his people. O how folac- 
ing in the hour of trial and diftrefs is the 
hope of that bleffed kingdom ! Heaven is a 
fcene of perfed tranquillity. There the 
ftrife of paffions and the ftrength of corrup- 
tion (hall be unknown and unfelt. There 
the frowns and the fmiles of this vain world 
fhall be no more. The wicked one with 
his fiery darts fhall never enter that nappy 
place. Befides, he iven is a refting-place 
from all the trials and afflictions of this life. 
It is a happy concltifion to all our forrows; 
There the tumults of the world are huihed, 
and all its cares and diftrefles loft in endiefs 
oblivion; or, if remembered, they only 
ferve to render this reft more exquifite Lad 
refrefliing. O Lord, my Redeemer, aad 
my Fore-runner ! let my hope of future 
U 2 bhfs 



223 HOPE of POSITIVE FELICITY. 



blifs ftrengthen my faith and enliven my 
defires \ and amidft the troubles of the wil- 
derneft, give me peace and joy in believ- 
ing, defiring, and expe&ing the happy land 
of celefliai promiie. 

The waves of trouble, how they rife ! 

How loud the tempefts roar ! 
But death fhail land our weary fouls 

Safe on the heavenly fhors. 

There (hall we fit, and fing, and tell 

The wonders of his grace, 
While heav'nly raptures fire our hearts, 

And fniile in every face. 



cm. 

HOPE of POSITIVE FELICITY. 

Now we fee darkly, as through a glafs. 
Here all our graces are imperfefh But, by 
the word and fpirit of the gofpel, we are 
raifed to the hope of feeing and knowing 
perfe&ly hereafter* If we are one with Je- 
fus Chrift, we fhall be happy beyond the 
grave, in the enjoyment of perfeft love. — 
That love (hall increafe with the growing 

wonders 



HOPE of POSITIVE FELICITY. 229 

wonders of Providence, of grace, and of 
glory. Hence a felicity mult arife in the 
foul, of which, at prefent, we cannot form 
the moft diftant idea. Union arifes from 
love. It is only in heaven that this prayer 
of our Lord fhall be fully anfwered — As thou 
Father art in me and I in thee, that they alfo 
may be one in us. This union will be of a 
transforming nature. It will change the 
foul into the image of God. Happinefs 
beyond expreilion mufl be the refult. We 
dwell at prefent in a land of diftance and 
darknefs.. Hereafter, we fhall be always 
near to the fountain of happinefs. We fhall 
fee and praife our God, without forrow and 
without fear for ever, with everlafling fongs 
and joy upon our heads. O my foul ! how 
fhould it quicken thy pace, and exalt thy 
joy,, in this land of thy captivity, to think 
that thou art removing from this world of 
finners, and from all thy own doubts, and 
fears, and forrows, to a land of light, to 
a glorious affembly of holy, happy fpirits ; 
where not one doubt, or fear, or forrow, or 
difcouragement fhall remain in their con- 
fciences, or in thine ; but where they are 
U 2 ever 



230 HOPE of POSITIVE FELICITY. 

ever contemplating the chief good, yet never 
wearied with the contemplation ; where 
they love, and reft in their love ; where they 
poflfefs a fulnefs of joy,and yet are not fatiated 
with their joys! O happy fpirits! Blefled fatis- 
fadtion indeed ! This mud be the higheft feli- 
city, to which a creature can attain ; the ut- 
moft perfeftion of human nature; God being 
all in alL Thefe are the fubftantial promifes 
of the gofpel, and wherever they are en- 
tertained, they impart fubftantial confolation. 
Thefe are hopes, that have often rendered 
eafy the chains and fetters of the prifon, that 
have cheered the pit and the dungeon, and 
fuftained and fortified the mind in its paflage 
through the valley of the Jloadow of death. — 
What powerful fpurs are thefe hopes to ani- 
mate believers to run their chriftian race ! 
If ye run, ye jhall obtain. If ye fuffier with 
Chrifl, ye jhall reign with Chriji. Be faith- 
ful unto death, faith the Lord, and I will give 
thee a crozvn of life. A crown of life ! O fur- 
prifmg grace ! At thy right hand, Lord, 
there are pleafures for evermore. For ever- 
more / O vaft eternity ! What emphafis,, 
what grandeur is in the found ! For ever- 

more ! 



HOPE of POSITIVE FELICITY. 231 



more ! O thou inexhauftible magazine of 
blifs ! How dofl thou now confound, my 
imagination ! O Chriftian ! revere thy dig- 
nity, rejoice in thy hope, and walk worthy 
of thy heavenly privileges.. Return to your 
reft) O ye who are -toffed- with tempefts, and 
ajflided with ftorms ! Raife your fpirits, ye 
pure in heart* and humble in mind ! To 
this I invite youinthe words of a pious and 
elegant poet : — 

Ye good diftrelT ! 



Ye noble few ! who here unbending iiand 
Beneath life's preffure, yet bear up a while, 
And what, your bounded view, which only faw 
A little part, deem'd Evil — is no more : 
The ftorms of Wintry Time will quickly pafe, 
And one unbounded Spring encircle all ! 

To what a lively hope are believers begotten 
through thy death and refurredtion, O Lord, 
my Redeemer ! Dwell, O dwell in my foul, 
as my only light, and life, and hope. Let 
my hope through life, amidft trials and for- 
rows, be that hope which, at the gate of the 
heavenly city, fhall be changed into the 
enjoyment of the pofitive, never-ending hap- 
pinefs, which thou hail revealed and pro- 
mifed in thy word to thy faithful fervants. 

COMFORT 



232 COMFORT to the MOURNER. 



CIV. 
COMFORT to the MOURNER. 

To Mary weeping and looking into the fe- 
pulchre of her rifen Redeemer, pw6 angels, 
who were fitting, the one at the bead, and tie 
ether at the feet, where the body ofjefus had 
lain, faid with a tender regard — Woman, why 
weepejl thou I He is not here. He is rifen, 
as he faid. Come, fee the place where the 
Lord lay. Dry up thy tears j fhout for joy 
rather, for the Lord of glory triumphs in 
his refurre&ion. Scarcely had fhe told them 
the caufe of her grief, before the Lord him- 
felf appeared, and put the fame queftion to 
her, Woman, why weepefi thou ? As if he had 
faid, Mary, dry up thy tears. I am rifen 
from the dead. Behold in my refurreftion 
an inflance of my Sovereign power to redeem 
my people from the dominion of fin, and 
from the power of the grave. I am rifen 
from the dead. My facrifice for my people 
is accepted. I am now juftified, and my 
people are juftified with me. My foul hath 
been in paradife, At death, the fouls of 

my 



COMFORT to the MOURNER. m* 



my people (hall afcend to the paradife of 
God ; and, at the appointed time, their dud 
fliall in like manner arife.- — The fame tender, 
reviving language is addrefTed to every be- 
liever in Chriit, mourning over the victims 
of death. Believer ! Why weefe/l thou at the 
grave's devouring mouth ? jefus Chrift, the 
Sun of righteoufnefs, hzth extended his radiance 
over the region and fliadow of death. That 
life and immortality which he taught, are in^ 
fallibly confirmed by his refurreftion from 
the dead. Chriftian ! Why -iveepeft then on 
the death of believing friends ? The Lord is 
rtfen indeed. Thy friends were jufiifted in 
and with him. Through the Holy Ghoft, 
thy Saviour's purchafe, his friends and thine 
were enlightened, and fan6tified, and made 
meet for heaven. Their fouls are now en- 
tered into that region, where life, like a 
beautiful flower, tranfplanted to its native 
foil, opens, expands, and bloffoms in all its 
glory ; where the Lamb that is in the midji 
of the throne leads his happy flock to foun- 
tains of living water ; and where he con* 
tinually fefrefhes their fpirits with the hea- 
venly influence of his immediate prefence 3 

Believer I 



2:34 COMFORT to the MOURNER. 

Believer ! Why weepeji thou when bereaved 
of pious relatives ? Thy relatives are not re- 
moved to a diflant inacceflible region. Thou 
art in truth on the confines of the world of 
fpirits. Little did the three -difciples think, 
when they afcended Mount Tabor, that they 
were fo near to an interview with Mofes and 
Elias. The fpirits of thofe who have died 
in the Lord, are not far from us who are 
■Chrift's. It is our folly and infirmity to 
think ourfel'ves far from them. Believer ! 
Why weepeji thou 21 the lofs of dear and pious 
friends by death ? Behold the place where the 
Lord lay, He is rifen aa the meritorious, 
the efficient, and the exemplary caufe of his 
people's refurreftion. Te believe that Jefus 
died and rofe again* What a fure ground of 
hope, that them alfo who Jleep in Jefus, God 
will bring with him. O delightful reflections ! 
Who would be fo unjuft to God, and fo un- 
kind to themfelves, as to part with them ? 
O how they fmooth the ragged path of life ; 
how they temper the bitternefs of affliction ; 
how they dillipate the horrors of the grave I 
With fuch profpefts and fuch hopes, what 
haft thou, O believer, to fear ? Or why 

fhould 



COMFORT to the MOURNER. 235 

fhould thy heart be troubled in life, or in 
death ? Thy parent, thy child- thy friend 
expires. Why weepeji thou ? Or, if thou 
wilt mourn and weep for a little, furely thou 
wilt not murmur. No. Thou wilt habi- 
tually afcend by faith to the world of happy 
fpirits, and, with devout a-Seftion, imitate 
and follow the faithful, who are ?iow inhe- 
riting the promifes. Thou wilt fay with Eli, 
It is the Lord, let him do what feemeth him 
good.; and withf job, The Lord gave ', and the 
Lord hath taken away ; bleffed be the name of 
the Lard, Yes ; patience iliall poffefs my 
foul, and fubmiffion regulate all my aftions. 
An ignorant w r orm of the duft, 1 will never 
dare to find fault with the all- wife Creator. 
The leafe of my darling object was expired, 
before I loft it. That obje£t jfhall foon be 
reftored. But a better object is the portion 
of my foul. The Lord liveth, bleffed be my 
Rock. My chief good, my higheft joy, can 
never die, can never be taken from me.— 
No creature fhall ufurp that place in my af- 
fections and confidence, which is due to 
God alone. Father of mercies, and God 
of all confolation ! allow me, and aid me to 

draw 



m COMFORT to the MOURNER. 



draw water from the wells offalvation. On 
the death of friends, let me never mourn like 
ihofe who have no hope. Teach me gratitude 
for thy favours, and fubmiffion to all thy 
difpenfations. Prepare me for my own de- 
parture. Arm me for the arduous conflict, 
with a good confcience, and a chriftian faith , 
Let me neither fear the diffolution of nature, 
nor impatiently defire it. But let me wait 
its approach with fubmiffion, ferenity, and 
hope. And when I, thy humble fuppliant, 
have meafured the little fpace that remains, 
grant me, O moft gracious Father, for my 
Surety's fake, grant me to rejoin my dear 
and venerable friends, among the fpirits of 
the juji made perfect ; to unite in elevated 
fellowfhip near the tbrone of thy glory ; and 
to enjoy, with mutual felicity, the brightnefs 
of the beatific vifion for ever. 

Take comfort, Chriftians ! when your friends 

In Jefus fail afleep ; 
Their better being never ends ; 

Why then dejected weep I 

Why inconfolable as thofe, 

To whom no hope is given ? 
Death is the meflenger of peace, 

And calls the foul to heaven, 

A few 



RESIGNATION. fS7 

A few fhort years of evil pail 

We reach the happy fhore, 
Where death-divided friends at lafb 

Shall meet to part no more. 



RESIGNATION. 



Refignation fuppofes a ftate of life in 
which there are various calamities and af- 
flictions ; and implies a calm and cheerful 
fubmiffion to the will of God, under the 
mod adverfe difpenfations of his provi- 
dence. Refignation permits us to weep 
with thofe that weep, and even to feel and to 
weep for our own diftreffes. But it always 
prohibits murmuring, difcontent, and obfli- 
nate grief. Under trials, lofle's, and croffes 
the pious foul always expreffeth itfelf in the 
language of Eli — 7/ is the Lord; let him do 
what feemeth him good ; and of Job — The 
Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away ; 
blejfed be the name of the Lord : and of one 
greater than either — Neverthelefs^ Father, 
X not 



233 RESIGNATION. 



not as I will) but as thou wilt. And what 
powerful arguments have we for fubmiffion 
to the will of heaven ! 7/ is the Lord ! We 
bear or fufFer no more than what the great 
Sovereign of the world is pleafed to lay upon 
us. Let him do what feemeth him good. And 
nothing can feein good to his perfeQ: nature 5 
nothing can be the fubjedt of his inflexible 
a&ing, but what is concerted by infinite wif- 
dom, and conduced by the motives and 
mitigations of unbounded goodnefs and love. 
How fnhmiffive alfo fhould we be when we 
confider the end of afflictions, and balance 
the good which we enjoy againfl the evil 
which we fmTer ; when we contemplate the 
mercy of God in the midjl of judgments ; and 
when we confider the prefervation of life, 
the exercife of reafon, the comforts of reli- 
gion, and the afTur£mces of eternal glory 1 
How weak and vain is it to conclude that I 
am either hated or injured, becaufe I am 
abridged of fome pleafure or advantage ! 
The very abridgement may be defigned for 
a favour, and the hurtful fword taken out 
of the hands of the madman, becaufe he 
knew not how to ufe it. Again, fince God 

governs 



RESIGNATION 23? 



governs the world in righteoufnefs, ail ap- 
peals from his decrees and determinations 
are impeachments of our Judge, and by con- 
fequence provoke and exafperate hisMajeiry, 
and remove thefuk of the complainant from 
the throne of mercy- to the bar of vengeance. 
Thus the remedy is worfe than the difeafe. 
Complaints inftead of redrefling, augment 
our grievances ;' and the ftrength which 
was defigned to untie the knot does but- 
draw it the harder together. Every ftruggle 
finks us deeper in the mire, and, for want 
of folid footing, our own weight will drown 
us at the la-ft; Complaining is like the 
fluttering of a bird in a net ; the more fhe 
flaps her wings, the more {he is entangled, 
and the fooner becomes a prey to the fowler, 
from whom (he endea-vourstoefcape. Patience 
is one of the charadteriftics of our religion, 
one of the glories and perfections of Chris- 
tianity. The greater (hare I have of that 
virtue, the nearer I approach. to the example 
of my Redeemer, and the brighter evidence 
I give of my adoption into the family of 
heaven. Teach me, O Lord my God, to 
learnfubmiilionandacquiefcence in every Rate 
X 2 of 



240 RESIGNATION. 

of life, and with faithfulnefs to act that part 
upon the theatre of the world, which thou, 
the Governor of all, haft allotted me. If I am 
poor and diftreffed, let me blefs the righteous 
hand of thy providence, when it taketb azvay, 
as well as when it giveth. If my family or 
eftate be fnatched from me, let me know, 
that thy juftice but refumes what thy mercy 
lent me, and that I return both to thee, the 
proper owner. Let all thy difpenfations 
promote my fpiritual improvement. When 
thou chaftifeft me, let it- be for my amend- 
ment. When thou trieft me by temptations 
or by adverfities,let my faith be ftrengthened, 
my repentance quickened, my love inflamed, 
my hope enlivened, my devotions raifed, my 
moft perfect performances refined, and my 
foul made every day more meet for the en- 
joyments of thy heavenly kingdom. 



GRATITUDE 



GRATITUDE and CQISHFTDENCE. 241 



cvi. 

GRATITUDE and CONFIDENCE. 

How welcome are unlocked for mercies ! 
With what pleafure and thankfulnefs would 
I call to mind the extraordinary jun£hires, 
in which I have been Inarched from the 
moft imminent dangers, when no means of 
eicape appeared, and thofe which were ern- 
nloyed were fuch' as human fagacity could 

X. J O J 

neither have deviled nor conjectured ! How 
often have the children of God feen reafon' 
to rejoice in events which they dreaded ana 
deprecated ; and to give praile~ for the dif- 
appointmenr. of their faired hopes, for the' 
denial of then* fbndeft wifhes ! Man, alas, 
knoweth not it/bat is good for him in this life\ 
till mftru&ed by experience, and difciplined 
into ' wifdom. Netfhr is if man tint walheth 
to aired his o-vnjieps, What folly is it then, 
to refufe the guidance of heavenly wA:i:~';^. ! 
What folly not to truft in that power which 
te£s, and in that mercy which fcreens the 
plicating, confiding foul ! O what tnad- 
acfs is it to neglect.or to renounce the nume-- 
X 2 icus 



2 42 GRATITUDE akd CONFIDENCE. 



rous promifes of an almighty, gracious, and 
immutable God to his faithful people ! But 
what happinefs is it to confide in that God 
whofe perfe&ions are engaged through Jefus 
Chrift on the fide of thofe who truft in him ; 
in that God whofe power is fuperior to all 
events, whofe wifdom can fee the remoteft 
confequences of things, whofe goodnefs is 
inexhauftible, and whofe friendfhip no ca- 
price can change ! If an Heathen Emperor, 
in the height of his Roman glory and con- 
queft, could declare, That he would not live 
one day in a world without a God and a Pro- 
vidence, certainly a chriflian may raife his 
head, and brighten his expectations. A 
chriflian has a more fare word of prophecy to 
truft to, and the firmed fecurity through the 
redemption that is in Chriji Jefus. Even the 
fons and daughters of affliction may triumph 
in their iiftreffes, for their afflictions work 
for them, by way of meetnefs, a far more 
exceeding, even an eternal weight of glory. — 
Through the grace of God, in whom they 
truft, their trials and diftreffes excite them 
to pray with fervency, to truft in God more 
firmly, to renounce a vain world, and to 

defire 



GRATITUDE and CONFIDENCE. 2 43 



defire and long for a better country, even an 
heavenly. The happinefs of the event fanc- 
tifies the caufe, the refloration of health 
fweetens the hitter medicine, and even the 
enduring of death is an entrance upon life, 
and the commencement of glory. O then, 
iajle and fee how gracious the Lord is. Cajt 
ycur care upon him that careth for you. Throw 
your diftreffes into the arms of mercy. Re- 
fer your fuits to the bar of juftice, now amply 
appeafed by jefus Chrift, and ready to juf- 
tify the believer. Confide in the Lord Je- 
hovah, for he is fufficient in himfelf, and 
through aMediator 5 communicative to his be- 
lieving, hoping petitioners. Implicitly rely 
on the hand which governs univerfal nature*, 
and which hath guided you thus far in 
fafety, through ways unthought of, amidft. 
bleffings unnumbered, againft your fears* 
and far beyond your expectation. If you 
thus confide, ye (hall never be confounded. 
Faith fhall be your flay, and fubmifFion your 
conqueft. The God of heaven and earth 
fhall be your rock and fecurity, and the 
everlajiing arms, the conf ufion of your ene- 
mies, 

DECREASING 



244 DECREASING GRACE. 

DECREASING GRACE. 

If Satan cannot hinder the birth of divine 
grace in the foul, then he labours to defcroy 
it. It is too common to fee a chriftian lofe 
liis Jirjl love^ and fall from his fir (I works, 
The love that was once an afcending flame, 
always fparklmg towards heaven, is now 
like a little (park; almoft fufiocated with the- 
earth. The godly forrow that was once a 
fwelling torrent, like Jordan overflowing his 
banks, is now like Job's fammer-brook, 
which makes the traveller alhamed His 
proceedings againft fin were once furious, 
like Jehu marching againft Ahab ; but now 
like Sarnpfon, he can fleep in Delilah's lap, 
whilft flie fteals away his ftrength. For- 
merly, he could not give reft to his eyes till : 
God had given reft to his foul ; but now he 
can lie down with fin in his bofom, and" 
with wounds in his confcience. At firft, 
his zeal did eat him up ; but now his de- 
clenfions have eaten up his zeal- How is 
thy excellency, O profeffing chriftian, de- 

parted 



DECREASING GRACE. 24$ 

parted from thee ! How is thy crown fallen 
from thy head, and defiled in the dud ! — 
What a dangerous breach haft thou made 
for the entrance of fin and forrow 1 Temp- 
tations find thee wrecked, and leave thee 
wounded. Thy graces were once like the 
three mighty men who were with David ^who 
brake through the hoji of tlye PhUiftines^ and 
drew water out of the well of Bethlehem*— 
But, alas ! they are now like the foldiers 
that followed Saul ; they are with thee~ 

trembling. Thou haft potent enemies* 

but impotent graces. Thou art often af- 
faulted, but eafily conquered. Alas ! thy 
fun is fetting, and difmal clouds are arifing. 
Thy graces, O Chriftian, are decreafing, and 
God is withdrawing his favours. Thou 
forfakeft communion with the faints, and 
God communes no more with thee from off 
the mercy-feat* Thou offered up thy fa- 
crifices without the fire of zeal, and he an- 
fwereth thy coldnefs with the heat of his 
difpleafure. In a word, thy fpirit has no 
delight in God, and God's foul taketh no 
pleafure in thee. — And as there is bad news 
from heaven, fo there is fad and difmal 

news 



246 HYPOCRISY, 

news from confcience. What tremblings 

o 

of heart, what aftonifhment of foul, what 
difputes againft mercy, what q.uefiionings of 
falvation, will thy wounded confcience and 
bleeding Ipirit raife ! What flafhes of light- 
ning, what peals of thunder, will break out 
upon thy foul, when the hot pangs of death 
fhall be wrapt up in the cold and chill 
fcrup-es of falvation ! Almighty, gracious 
Father! let me have power to praife thee 
for grace implanted, and to ferve thee by 
grace improved. Grant that as every hour 
brings me nearer to my grave, fo every 
affcion may bring me nearer to my heaven. 



CVIIL 
H Y P O C R I S Y. 

An hypocrite is the fervant of Satan in 
the livery- of heaven ; and therefore out of 
favour both in heaven and on earth, God 
feeth his heart, and will not own him. Man 
feeth his livery and his aftions, his profef- 
iion and his practice to be fo diffimilar, that 
he derides and hates him. God feeth his in- 
ward 



HYPOCRISY. <W 

ward hypocrify, and therefore abhorreth 
him. Thus, though he travels in the wilr 
, demefsy he (hall . never reft in the land of 
promije. When he calls up the fum of all 
his labours, he fhall find it to be this— Who 
hath required this at thy hands ? How dif- 
ferent, alas, from that which he expected-— 
Well do?ie ? good and faithful [fervant J He that 
[o cunningly deceived others., does atJalt as 
foolifhly beguile himfelf. In a word,, the hy- 
pocrite is a man that Heals his damnation, 
and runs in the way to hell, The openly 
profane and the feeretly hypocritical meet 
there at fofej only with this difference, that 
the one goeth in at the gate, but the other 
ftealeth over the wall, or through the poft- 
ern. Therefore, O Lord, my righteoufnefs, 
while the hypocrite clothes himfelf with for- 
mality, clothe me with uprightnefs and truth. 
It may be, fome will hate me ; but I care 
not, fo be that heaven regards me. My 
duties may be full of imperfections; but they 
fnall never want a gracious acceptance.— 
My way may be in trouble, but my reft 
fhall be in glory. O my foul ! prise the 
truth, as it is in Jefus, and earneftly contend 

for 



34« SECURITY DANGEROUS. 



for it. Struggle through the toils of a day, 
and an eternity of joy {hall reward thee. 

Happy the man cf heavenly birth, 
He humbly walks with God on earth ; 
The power of grace his foul renews, 
Sin, and the carnal mind fubdues. 

Sin he abhors, and felf denies ; 
To heaven his warm devotions rife, 
And thither, when his warfare ends, 
His foul triumphantly afcends. 



CIX, 

SECURITY DANGEROUS- 

As great ferenity of weather prefages a 
whirlwind and an earthquake ; fo great fe- 
curity of life in religion is an awful fore- 
boding of an earthquake in the fou! 3 of 
trembling and aftonifhment of fpirit. They 
who take ud formality, and fit down in fecu- 
rity, fhall be overtaken with terrible de- 
ftraction. Chriftians, who are only brought 
out of open profanenefs into an outward 
profeflion ; who have only taken down the 
frame of their grofs iniquities, to fet up a 

fuperficial 



SECURITY DANGEROUS. "243 



fuperficial form of piety ; who have covered 
their faces only with a furface of religion ; 
fuch Christians are fare to fall, like the houfe 
that was built on the fand. There are none 
fo likely to fall into the fleep of fpiritual and 
eternal death ; for while they think them- 
felves well, they feek not to be better.-— 
Thus they flurnber away their time, until 
the cry at midnight is heard — behold the 
bridegroom cometh. Then they awake, and 
flartle, and fee nothing but the bridge of 
mercy drawn up, and the gate of heaven 
fhut and fealed for ever. Mark with what 
confidence the formalifts mentioned in the 
gofpel approach to Jefus Chrift. They come 
to him under the relation of fervants, and 
therefore call upon him as their mailer. — ■ 
Lord, Lord, have we not prophefied in thy 
name, and in thy name cajl out devils, and in 
thy name done many wonderful works* They 
have no doubt about falvadon. They ex- 
hibit their works, as if thefe could command 
heaven and glory for their wages. But hear 
the Judge's anfwer. Then willlprofefs unto 
them, I never knew you ; depart from me, ye 
workers of iniquity. I never knew you with 
Y approbation. 



250 The EVIL of SIN. 

approbation, becaufe ye did every thing in 
formality, and nothing in fincerity and from 
the heart. Therefore, depart from me. — 
What a fool is the mere external Chriftiari.! 
Becaufe he is reformed in many things, and 
becaufe he conforms to many duties, he 
concludes, like Agag, that the bitternefs of 
death is part ; and therefore clothes himfelf 
with fmooth imaginations, and with deceitful 
apprehenfions, till he is hewn a/under before 
the Lord. O Spirit of ftrength ! prefer ve 
me from being formal or fecure in the lead 
dutv. O biefs me with the fentiments, and 
with the happinefs of the raan^ thai feareih 
always ; for I would rather tremble on earth 
than flartle in hell. 



CX. 
THE EVIL OF SINc 

Both fin prefect itfelf ? Behold it either 
as attended with medicinal tears and forrow 
ut(m earth, or as it (hall be attended with 
Bever-ceafmg torments in the world to come. 

If 



The EVIL of SIN: <>5i 



If, O mortal ! thou -committed the lead fin, 
and dieft impenitent, thy foul is loft, and thy 
redemption ceafeth forever. Or, if thou 
committed that fin, and repented ; yet what 
hidings of the face and favour of heaven ; 
what breaking of the bones, as the Pialmift 
exprefleth it y what bitter pangs ; what 
painful throes; what fhadows of death; 
what terrors of hell, may await and ieize 
upon thee, before thou oanft make thy 
peace, ; or fettle thy affurance ! Wilt thou- 
give way to fin, becaufe it is delectable, or 
becaufe it is pardonable? Who loveth poifon, 
becaufe it is Tweet V0f who drinketh poifon^ 
becaufe he may have an antidote ; feeing it 
will operate to his trouble, if it work not 
out his life ? I have a precious, immortal 
foul. Shall I lofe'it for an impure defire ? 
I have a gracious God. Shall I -venture to 
offend him for a fm ? No. I will always 
rejeft that, for which l*am fure to lofe my 
peace, and mod likely to lofe my foul. Al- 
mighty God! lay my fins on the all-fufficient 
Surety which thou had provided. Influence 
my tongue, and curb my pafTions. Let the 
words of my mouth, and the deeds of my 
Y 2 life, 



The BELOVED SIN. 



life, be ftriclly conformable to thy precepts. 
Let the devotions of my heart, and all my 
duties, be acceptable in my fight, through 
jefus Chriftj my ftiengthand my Redeemer. 



CXI. 

THE BELOVED SIN. 

Temptation leads to fin, and fin to death. 
But of all my fins, may the thoughtful 
Chriftian fay, I am mod afraid of that fin, 
that fo eafily befets me. What wouldefi 
thou have, O my beloved fin ? For what end 
doft thou fo often prefent thyfelf? Why 
takeft thou up thy dwelling fo near my 
heart ? Doft thou anfwer that it is to pit die 
me, to delight me, to tranfport me with jo;. ? 
No, traitor 1 It is my life that thou feekeft. 
It is my foul that thou corned to ileal away 
and to devour. I dread thy fawning face. 
Thy fmiles are dares to myjieart. I tremble 
at thy wooings and thy embraces. Get thee 
gone. Thy kindnefles are deadly kind- 
neiTes. What meaneth that dagger in thy 

hand 3 



The BELOVED SIN. £53 



hand, while thou thus embraced me r It is 
my death thou art defigning. Doubtlefs I 
mud die, if I love thee longer. And what 
mud I then die ? Is it a fhort and eafy death, 
into which thou art betraying me ? No, no ; 
it is a bitter, lingering, eternal death, that, 
thou art preparing for me, * I have feen 
thofe chambers of death where thou lodged 
thy lovers. I have heard them roaring and 
blafpheming .in the anguifa .cf their ibuls, . 
Terror and aftonifliment have feize d me. 
If I die that death,, it will be by thy hand, 
thou darling fin.. Therefore, depart from 
me, I hate thee more than ever I loved 
thee. Lord of life and love ! aid me to lay 
ajtde every weight y and the Jin that moft-eofily 
befeis me* Excite me daily to turn unto thee 5 
and to do works meet for repentance ; to learn 
to do eood, as well as. to ceaie from doing 
evil 

Lord, feareh my-foul, by ev 5 ry thought j 
Though ray own heart accufe me not 
Of walking in a falie difguife, 
I beg the trial of thine eyes. 

TJoth fecret mifchief lurk within r 
Do I indulge fome unknown fin : 
Q turn my feet whene'er I ilray, .. 
kiid lead me in thy perfect wuf« 

Y s GEKIR- 



$»' GENERAL TRIAL. 



CXII. 
GENERAL TRIAL. 

We meet with many Chriflians who live 
in direft oppofition to what they fay they 
hope and believe. The faith, the hope, and 
the love of the gofpel never fail to produce, 
or to iffue mjhofe fruits of righieoufnefs which 
are through Chri/i to the praife and glory of 
God. They who live godly in Chrift Jefus, 
rauft live in all good conference towards God 
and to wardsmen. They who having ch ofen 
God, and embraced Chriil Jefus, do fet their 
hearts in all things to walk uprightly accord- 
ing to the truth of the gofpel, without 
allowing themfelves in the neglect of any 
thing that they know to be their duty j — 
whofe prayer is, hide not thy commandments 
from us ; whofe ftudy it is to know the will 
of God : and whofe endeavour it is to walk 
in all the commandments of the Lord blame- 
lefs ; thefe are the perfons whom the gofpel 
pronounceth holy. On the other hand, 
they who live in the negleft of the afts of 
divine worfhip j who pray not, and hear 

not J 



GENERAL TRIAL, 255 

not ; who negle£t the general duties of our 
holy religion ; who fet not themfelves tofeek 
the kingdom of God and his righteoufnefs^ to 
work oat their own fahation, and to walk as 
becometh the go/pel ; but take up with a care- 
lefs, carnal, worldly life ;— thefe are not 
upright, holy perfons. The very negledt, 
or not engaging in thefe great and necefiary 
duties prove them to be unholy perfons. I 
am aftiamed of my negligencies and defeats . 
Forgive them, O God of grace and love ! — 
Grant that I may be filled with a godly 
forrow for my fins, and let me abhor the 
thoughts of continuing in Jin , becaufe grace 
hath abounded towards me. Let my affec- 
tions be fixed upon thee, O God ! the fu- 
preme, the infinite good, who alone canfl 
fatisfy the immortal, unbounded defires of 
my foul, and in whom alone I can be com- 
pletely, and for ever happy. Aid me to 
manifeft the fincerity of my love to thee by 
that beft expreffion of it, the keeping of thy 
commandments. Try me, O my God, and 
prove me ; and let all the trials of my hoii- 
nefs be found to my praife, and honour, 
and glory, at the appearing of Jefus Chrift. 

PARTICULAR 



236 PARTICULAR TRIAL. 



CXIIl: 

PARTICULAR TRIAL, 

They who do fomething in thofe great and ! 
general duties mentioned above, and vet al- 
low themfelves in the negle£i of any parti- 
cular duties; in the neglett of righteoufnefs j . 
in the neglect of mercy; in the neglect of 
their families, and of the duties they owe to 
them ; in the neglect of neighbours, or of 
Grangers, and of the duties they owe to 
them ; and can wink and difpenfe with 
- themfelves therein ; — fuch perfons can never 
prove that their religion is not vain* Art 
thou a holy man, who art an unrighteous 
and unmerciful man ? Art thou a good 
Chriftian, who art not a good hufband, or 
who art not a gcod wife ? Art thou a good 
man. or a good woman, who art a bad 
neighbour ? Art thou a holy perfon, whom 
halting after the Lord mud ferve, inftead of 
walking uprightly and humbly ..with God? 
Art thou a fanctifier of the Chriftian fab- 
bath, who art feldom or never feen in the 
houfe of the Lord? Art thou a candidate 

for 



PARTICULAR TRIAL. 257 



for heaven, whofe affe&ions are glued to 
the earth ? Art thou a traveller to the hea- 
venly Zion, who art not arrayed with habi- 
liments fuitable to the journey ; with the 
garments of faith, of prayer, of hope, of 
praife, and of love ? Art thou who fweareft, 
and lieft, and dealefl unjuflly, a citizen of 
the new Jeni/alem, where truth, and love, 
and holinefs reign for ever ? Alas, thy fpeech 
bewrayeth thee. Into the city of eternal ha- 
bitation, nothing that defileih^ either in word 
or in deed. JhaU ever enter. Art thou a 
follower of Jefus Chrift, who wilt have him 
abate thee fome of his demands j a!?ate*thee 
truth ; abate thee mercy ; abate thee felf- 
denia) ; or, if he will not abate them to 
thee, thou wilt abate them to him ? Is this 
to be undefiled, or entire in the way of the 
Lord? But doft thou, O Chriftian, give 
thyfelf to prayer, to hearing the word, and 
to praifing the Lord ? Doft thou make it 
the fcope and bufinefs of thy life to pleafe 
and glorify God, by a life of faith and of 
holinefs ? Doft thou ftrive in the ufe of the 
means of grace, to know affuredly that thou 
art one with Jefus Chrift ? Doft thou un- 

wqafiedly 



23S The HEAVENLY TRAVELLER. 

unweariedly learn the language and the 
manners of heaven ? Doft thou ftudy and 
endeavour to approve thyfelf in every thing 
to him who fearcheth the heart, and trieth the 
reins ; and to keep thyfelf unfpotted from the 
world? Then thou art a holy perfon. — »■ 
Then thy religion is the true one ; religion 
in truth, in power, and indeed. O gra- 
cious Father ! engrave thy image of love 
and holinefs on my heart and conduft, that 
XI may know thereby, that I have chofea 
thee, and that thou haft chofen me. 



CXIY. 

The HEAVENLY TRAVELLER. 

What heir travelling to take pofFeffion of 
a rich inheritance, allows either a green 
meadow or a pleafant garden to detain him ; 
or a black cloud, or a foul road to difhearten 
him? O my foul! thou art travelling to 
take poffeffion of a glorious inheritance among . 
the faints in light. And wilt thou turn afide 
to crop every flower f: Or wilt thou itand 

mi 



The HEAVENLY TRAVELLER. SB& 

ftili to hear every melodious found ? Or, 
wilt thou leave thy way to drink of every 
gliding ftream of carnal pleafure ? What is 
this, but for a look of a landfcape to lofe a 
manor? What is this, hut for a dying flower^ 
to part with an eternal crown ? What is 
this, but for a flying, fading ihadow, to 
lofe an immortal felicity ? — What is this, 
but to forfake the way to Zion, on purpofe 
to pluck one of the apples of Sodom ? Or 
elfe, my foul, what if thy way be in tears, 
and thy days in forrow i What though thy 
i&y be lowering ? What though the fea on 
which thou faileft be fweliing and raging, fo 
that not only the lading of the fhip, but 
-even thy life is in danger ? Yet thou hail 
enough to folace, and to cheer thee, when 
thou refle&eft, that a gracious and reward- 
ing God, a large and abiding portion, an 
everlafting repofe from trouble, and fulnefs 
of joy for ever > will more than compenfate all. 
Therefore, O vain and fading world ! make 
no tempting promifes, for i will make no 
deviation ; becaufe my way lies to purer 
comforts, and to furer glory. Vexing world! 
threaten not, for I will make no retarding ; 

becaufe 



2&) The HEAVENLY TRAVELLER. 

becaufe I am travelling*to my Father's houfe, 
ffiy country, my kindred, and my happinefs. 
O God of grace ! eftablifh my feeble refo- 
lutions, and let thy Holy Spirit help my in- 
firmities. In my paflage through the valley 
of Baca ) through this world, this valley of 
weeping, O refrefti me with thofe ftreams 
of heavenly grace which flow down from 
Thee, the great Fountain of confolation. — 
Thus enable me to proceed from one degree 
of holinefs to another, until I come to the 
glorified vifion of thee, my God, in heaven 
itfelf. 

Bleft, who their ftrength on thee reclinM, 
Thy feat explore with conftant mind, 
And, Salem's diftant towers in view, 
With adive zeai their way purfue : 
Secure, the thirfty vale they tread, 
While, cali'd from out their fandy bed, 
(As down in grateful fhowers diftill'd, 
The heavens their kindlieft moifture yield, ; 
The copious fprin-gs their Heps beguile, 
And bid the cheerlefs defart fmile. 
From ftage to ftage advancing ftifl, 
Behold them reach fair Sion's hill, 
And, proftrate at her hallowed ftirine, 
Adore the Majefty Divine, 

CONTENTMENT 



CONTENTMENT. 261- 



cxv. 

CONTENT MEN To 

Hath Jefus Chrifl, by his obedience and 
death, not only redeemed me from wrath, 
but purchafedfor mean unfading inheritance? 
And hath he, by the Holy Ghoft fent dowa 
from heaven into my heart, given me good 
hope that I fhall foon be in poffeffion of that 
inheritance ? Then how contented fhould I 
be with my lot in a prefent world, be it 
what it will ! After fuch mercies, fuch hope? 
as thefe, let me never open my mouth 
more to repine and grudge at the outward 
inconveniences of my condition. What are 
the things that I want, compared with the 
things that I enjoy ? What is a little money, 
or health, or liberty, to wifdom 9 righteousnefs^ 
fanSlification* and redemption ? All the crowns 
and fceptres in the world, fold at their full 
value, are no price for the lead of thefe mer- 
cies. — But I will be thankful, as well as con» 
tented, in every ftate. From thankfulnefs ? 
I will advance in duty, and rife to habitual 
joyfulnefs in the Lord. Yesj for I have 
Z good 



2&2 CONTENTMENT. 



good grounds to rejoice. I was once a poor 
and miferable captive, but I have now re- 
covered my liberty. I was once a debtor, 
and had nothing at all to extinguifh the 
debt, or even to pay the fmalleft part of it ; 
but now 7 all my fcores are cleared, and blef- 
fed be my Surety, I owe nothing. Though 
weary with travelling, yet I can, and 1 will 
rejoice, for I am not far from my home ; 
yea, I defcry my home, where all my w r ants 
fhall be abundantly and eternally fupplied. 
Ble[fed,be the God a?id Father cf our Lord Jefus 
Chrifi) who hath blejfed us 'with alt fpintual 
blejjings in heavenly places in Cbrijl. Bleffed 
be he, who hath gracioufly beftowed upon 
us in Chrift, and for his fake, by the 
operation of the Holy Ghoft, whatever may 
conduce to the happinefs of our fouls at 
prefent, whatever may prepare, them for 
eternal glory, and feal to us the joyful hope 
and expeftation of it. 

Returns my foul, unto thy reft 
Upon thy heavenly Father's breafl ■: 
Indulge me, Lord, in that repofe, 
Which he who loves thee only knows. 
Lodg'd in thine arms, I fear no more 
The tempefl's howl, the billows roar : 
Thofe florms muft make th' Almighty's feat, 
Which violate the faint's retreat. CON- 



CONTENTMENT 1 . ■ 8*T 



ex vl 

CONTENTMENT the BEST RICHES. 

As the heart is, fo is the eftate. Riches- 
are but cyphers. It is the mind that makes 
the fum. What am I the better for a great 
eftate, if I am not contented with it ? The 
defire of having will quickly eat up all the 
comforts and delights of pojfe/fing. There- 
fore that Alexander that wanes contentment^ 
is poorer than thatDiogenes that is contented 
with his wants. It argued a rich mind in 
Socrates, the moral philofopher, who, when 
walking through a market, and there be- 
holding a great variety of good commodities^ 
yet could fay, Shtam multis rebus ego non egeo, 
that is. How many things do I not want ; or, 
How many things have I no ufe for ! But it 
exhibited a richer mind ia the diiciples of 
Jefus Chrift, who, with a fweet complacency 
of fpirit, amidft trials and difficulties, could 
exultingly exclaim ; — as firrowful, yet til- 
way rejoicing ; as having nothing,, and yet 
pcfflfltng till things. In the midft of farrows, 
of which nature cannot be entirely infenfible, 
Z 2 they 



264 C ONTENTMENT. 



they always rejoiced in the prefent affurances 
of divine favour, and in the certain expecta- 
tion of complete felicity, and of eternal 
glory. Though they had nothing that they 
could call their own, yet they pofeffed the 
fervice and the benefit of all things. All the 
good things of heaven and of earth, of time 
and eternity belonged to them. Therefore, 
they were as eafy and happy, as if they had 
been a&ually the proprietors of the whole 
world. Is not contentment then the beft, 
the moft permanent, and the mod profitable 
wealth ? How defirable is the ftate of that 
man who can fay ; — I am lefs than the lead 
of all the mercies of God. But grace hath 
abounded towards me. I difcern with rap- 
ture of foul, that though my fins are great, 
yet the mercy of God in Chrift jefus is in- 
finitely greater. The God of grace hath 
called me, through the power of the Holy 
Ghofc, to the knowledge of jefus Chrift, 
and hath taught me to lay hold on his arm 
of Salvation. He hath made me willing in 
the day of his power to renounce every fin, 
end to accept the grace of the gofpel. He 
hath op.en.ed the treafur.es of his love, trea- 



fures 



CONTENTMENT, 



fures that contain in them the good things 
of earth and of heaven, things vifible and in- 

vifible > things prefent, and things to come. 
while thefe treafures ftand open to my view,, 
in the language of the gofpel he informs 
me, All is yours. Surely here is enough for 
faith to live upon, through all the remaining 
years of my pilgrimage, and my hope. I. 
would not change my portion with the 
richeft finner on earth. My eftate is larger, 
and my interefts are more extenfive. His 
gold and filver, his houfes and lands, can 
reach no farther than this world and tinae^ 
but my inheritance runs into eternity, and 
my enjoyment of it has no period. My 
treafures are fecure againil all the invafion 
and plunder of enemies ; againil ail the rage 
of winds, and waves,, and fire ; againil all 
the confufions of the world ; againft all the 
overwhelming changes of time and of na- 
ture ; even againil death itfelf, and the laft 
great conflagration, Thefe lower heavem 
?nay be dijjhlved^ the elements may melt ^elih 
fervent heat, and the earth and the zuoris 
thereof j with all the fields, and palaces, and 
treafures of it ? may be burnt up ; but my in- 
Z 3 heritance 



Sm CONTENTMENT. 

heritance Hands ever fecure ; for God him- 
felf, who is the original creator and pofleffov 
of all things, hath fecured life and happinefs 
to me in his covenant. He bath fecured to 
me a poffeflion of ever/ thing that can be 
neceffary to my happinefs, or to my eternal 
life. O that I were taught to enjoy thefe 
bleilings daily ! May I be taught to obferve 
and improve the daily acceffions that are 
made to my treafures, by all the new fcenes 
of Providence that are ever rifing ! May my 
r heart be formed according to my eftate ! — 
Then fhail I have an eftate according to my 
heart. May life itfelf, with all the daily 
comforts and croffes of it, minifter to me 
fome facred meditations, fome holy and hea- 
venly thoughts ! O eternal and ever-bleffed 
Comforter ! infpire me with the fpirit of 
real contentment. In my foul, thy facred 
temple, never let the fpirit of -murmuring 
fHr, never let the voice of murmuring be 
heard, -Renew and maintain in me aright 
fpirit ; — a fpirit above this world — a fpirit 
which is of God. 

PROPORTIONAL 



PROPORTIONAL REWARDS. 2G1 

CXVII. 
PROPORTIONAL REWARDS, 

When, faith one, Irefle£t upon Job fitting 
in fackcloth and afhes ;' when I reflect on 
John hungering in the wildernefs, and on St, 
Peter hanging on a gibbet ; then I conclude, 
if God dealeth fo fharply here with his chil- 
dren whom he loves, how feverely will he 
•pu'nifh hereafter thofe reprobates whom he 
loathes ; if he do fo much to his intimate 
friends in the time of grace, what will he do 
to his avowed enemies in the day of retribu- 
tion ? You ? therefore, who deride the mife- 
ries of the faints, turn, O turn your mock- 
ings into fears, for hell fparkles out upon 
earth. — On the other hand, when 1 confider 
Herod in his pomp, Hainan in his honour, 
Belfhazzar at his feaft, then I conclude — if 
God droppeth fo much into a vefjelofzuratb, 
what will* he pour into a vs (Tel of mercy ? If 
God doth fo much for a Have upon earth, 
what will he do in heaven for a fon ? There- 
fore/ ye holy ones, who are fometimes of- 
fended at the .flourifhing cf the wicked, O 

ceafe 



28& PROPORTIONAL REWARDS. 

ceafe from envy, and behold your own 
glory. The ungodly Jha-l not ft and in the 
judgment* nor /inner s in the congregation of the 
righteous. A day is coming, when the di- 
vine Hufbandman fliaH appear with his fan 
in his hand) and Jhall thoroughly purge his 
jftbor. The wheat, that fhall (land the win- 
nowing of that day, will be gathered into 
the celeftial granary ; while the chaff, for 
£ver feparated from it, fhall be hurried out 
of the floor, and carried by a mighty whirl- 
wind, to its own place. The way of the un- 
godly Jhall perijh.^ Therefore, as the adver- 
fity of the faints fhall give me a glimpfe of 
hell, fo the profperity of the wicked fhall 
give me a glance of heaven. Know me, O 
God, as thine, through Jefus Chrifl. Give 
me that upright fpirit in which thou delight- 
ed. O may thy ever waking eye behold me 
with favour in fecret, and may thy bounteous 
hand reward me openly in the day of final 
retribution. 



CHOICE 



CHOICE PRIVILEGES. 269 

CXVIIL 
CHOICE PRIVILEGES, 

Jefus Chrift is God's unfpeakable gift to 
believers. To them he is all in all. He is 
all their light, all their life, all their ftrength, 
all their wifdom, all their righteoufnefs, all 
their fan&ification^ all their protection, all 
their joy, all their hope, and all their falva- 
tion. G how happy are they who have the 
Lord Jefus Chrifl for their All. The char- 
ter of heaven to fuch perfons is — all things 
-are yours. The world is theirs. It is fanfti- 
fied to their enjoyment. Its comforts are 
bellowed as the effects of covenant love. 
Life is theirs. Life temporal, fpiritual, and 
eternal is their unalienable portion. Death 
is theirs — viftory over it, comfort in \u and 
happinefs beyond it. Things prefent are 
theirs. -This lower creation (lands and moves 
for their fakes, for their relief and fupport, 
while they are travelling to heaven. The 
fun fhines, the feafons return, the rain de- 
fcends for their fakes. The world of grace 
alio is ordained for their advantage. The 

word 



2TO CHOICE PRIVILEGES. 



word of truth was written, minifters and 
holy inftitutions are ordained for their edifi- 
cation. The feals of the covenant are given 
to affift their faith, by the aid of their fenfes, 
and by this means to inflame their love,and 
exalt their joy. The precepts of the word 
are written to direct them in the way of 
duty. Its threatenings are pronounced to 
awaken their fear, and to guard them from 
fin and folly. Its promifes are given to 
comfort their fouls, to fupport their fpirits, 
and to give them a pleafing tafte of glory 
before hand. But the faints have an intereft 
in things temporal. Profperous and adverfe 
circumftances are equally privileges, and 
work for their improvement. Plenty raifes 
their hearts to thankfulnefs, and forms their 
lips to praife. Sicknefs and pain wean them 
from flefh and blood, remind them that this 
tabernacle is falling, and awaken their hearts 
to infure a better habitation on high. Want 
of food or of raiment makes them remember 
that they are yet in the wildernefs, and calls 
their meditations upwards to their Father's 
houfe, where there is bread enough and to /pare* . 
The infults and cruelties of a wicked world 

try 



CHOICE PRIVILEGES. 271 

try their fuxFering graces, and make their 
faith, their courage, and their patience (nine 
like gold that has patted through the furnace. 
But the privileges of believers in Jefus Chrift 
extend to the invifible regions, and to far 
diftant futurities. For things to come are 
theirs. Heaven and its many manfihns of 
light, of love, and of joy, were built and 
prepared for their reception. Miniftering 
fpirits wait upon their dying beds, and con- 
vey their happy fouls to unknown regions 
of light and joy. The future hell of the 
wicked hath alfo been their privilege, or of 
glorious and terrible fervice, to awaken their 
confciences in time part, and to drive them 
to feek refuge in the arms of jefus Chrift. 
And the devils themfelves who dwell there, 
with all their fiery temptations, have been as 
underworkers for their final good ; but as 
flaves to Chrift, the great refiner, who de- 
iigned by their temptations to try and purify 
his people. Not only prefentinvifibles, but 
even all future unfeen things are theirs alfo. 
The morning of the refurre&ion is appointed 
for their glory. When the trumpet /hall 
found, their Sleeping dud {hall wake to im- 
mortality, 



272 CHOICE PRIVILEGES; 



mortality. The day of judgment, and all the 
folemnities of it, are ordained for their ho- 
nour ; to publifh their viftories over fin and 
Satan, before the face of the whole creation, 
to pronounce them openly acquitted and juf- 
tified before men and angels ; to proclaim 
them the fons and daughters of the moji high 
God, and determine their date to everlafting- 
bleffednefs. The immortal crowns that fade 
not away^ (hall everlaftingly adorn the brows 
of the faithful. The kingdom that cannot hz 
fhaken? fhall be the inheritance of the meek 
and contrite in heart. Houfes not made with 
hands? eternal as their omnipotent Maker, 
and entertaining as the paradife of God, 
.fhall be the joyful habitation of thofe who 
once fuffered for righteoufnefs fake* and de- 
voted their lives to the fervice and glory of 
a crucified Jefus. What happinefs refults 
from fuch a view of the Chriftian's treafure, 
and from an appropriating faith in it ! The 
Chriftian may be poor in this world ; but 
how vaft, how glorious his poffefiions in a- 
nother ! O God, who haft made all things 
for thy ele£t, and thy elect for thyfelf ! blefs 
rne, for my Surety's fake, with knowledge 

of 



The REAL GOOD. 



of prefent, and of permanent interefi, in 
thefe lingular privileges. In my journey 
through this world, let my foul habitually 
afcend to heaven from whence Ihe came, 
and in afts of devotion feek and long for 
her native abode. When my pilgrimage h 
ended, introduce me to the eternal poffefiion 
of the promifes of grace, in thy blifsful pre- 
fence, O my -Father and my God! 



cxix. 

THE REAL GOOD. 



As nothing can be the perfection, fo no= 
thing can be the.fatisfa&ion of the foul, but 
he that, made it. '.All other good is limited, 
but God is every way fufficient. We can 
want nothing but what is to be found in 
him. We can defire nothing but what we 
may fully expert from him. Doft thou, Q 
believing, praying foul, ardently feek higher 
things than corn, and oil, and wine ? The 
God of grace will meet thee with fpiritual 
blejjings in Chfiji Jtfus. He will manifelt 
A a himfelf 



£74 The REAL GOOD. 



himfelf to thee, as thy condition, thy necef- 
fities, and thy prayers require. He will blefs 
thee with the pardon of fin, with the light 
of his countenance, and with the fulleft com- 
munications of his grace. God is alfo the 
real good, becaufe he is infinite in his na- 
ture and perfections. In him there is infi- 
nite mercy to pardon, infinite wifdom to 
counfel and direct, infinite power to fuccour 
and comfort, infinite grace to enrich and 
adorn our fouls in this world, and infinite 
glory to be our happinefs in another. God 
is the real good, becaufe he is the fafeft and 
fecureft good. Earthly portions, how va- 
luable foever, may be all taken from us* — 
We may lofe our health by difeafe, our li- 
berty by perfecution, our fubftance by vio- 
lence ; and we muft inevitably lofe our life 
by death. But none of thefe can deprive 
believers of their God. "Whatever they lofe 
or fufFer, God is their immutable,felicitating, 
and enduring portion. How different is all 
other good ! Of none, or of nothing, except 
God, can we fay, Return to thy reji^ my 
foul. The creature hath a goodnefs in it, 
no farther than it (lands in reference to the 

Creator, 



The REAL GOOD, 



Creator, to God, the chiefeft good, If we 
cut the ftream off from the fountain, it will 
foon lofe its fweetnefs, and its purenefs, and 
itfelf at laft. Becaufe the enjoyments of the 
wicked flow not from the fprmg of divine 
love, they are but like dainty channels,. 
mudded and embittered by the wrath cf 
God, They are only fading brooks, which 
at lad will make the foul afhamed. — — 
They, therefore, that only enjoy the crea- 
ture in itfelf, (hall lofe both the creature and 
themfelves. The pureft and fweeteil mer- 
cies run in thofe rivulets onlv, that are fed 
by the fprings of heavenly grace. There- 
fore, O Lord, my God I whatever I enjoy 
let it dream from the fountain of thy love, 
and flow to me in the blood of thy Son. — 
Eternal thanks be unto thee, O Lord, my 
Redeemer, for bringing me near to God, 
the real, the chiefeft good. 



GRATEFUL 
A a 2 



GRATEFUL RETURNS 



cxx. 

GRATEFUL' RETURNS. 

Has the God of all grace forgiven us 
much for ChriftV fake ? Then we fhould 
love, and praife, and ferve him much. Each 
of. us fhould fay from the heart, with the 
Pfaimift — / will Icrve ihee^ Lord, my deli- 
verer. What Jk all I render to thee ^ for alt thy 
benefits be ft owed upon me ? I will call upon thy 
name. Tru'y lam thy fervanL Tbou hajl 
loofed my bonds. He who can read or hear 
of the love of God with coldnefs and indif- 
ference, muft have a foul as hard as an ada- 
mant, and a heart as lifelefs as a ftone-— 
Millions of years are too fhort a fpace to 
think of his love, Endlefs ages will be em- 
ployed in adoring the riches of his grace. 
As ail the rivers run back into the fea from 
whence they came ; fo ail thofe bleffings 
that come from God, fhould always be em- 
ployed for God. What we have received 
from him in his mercy, he ihouid have back 
again in his glory, in gratitude, in duty, and 
in fervice. Therefore, O Lord ! whatever 

I en- 



EARNESTS. 277 



I enjoy, let me find thee in it, and give me 
power to ferve thee with it. Infpire me 
with a peculiar heartinefs in thy fervice, with 
a mind ready for every good word and 
work. O let the fupplies of ftrength, the 
various gifts which thou beftoweft upon me, 
be employed in (hewing to the world, that I 
am a good fteward of the manifold grace cf 
God ; and that having received jfo/£ talents, 
I am now ready to return thee ten. Whilfi 
too, too many are employed in feeking only 
perifhing objeds, O let me be loft in won- 
der, love, and praife ; in meditating oh thy 
glories, and in delighting in thy fervice, O 
my ftrength, and my Redeemer ! 



CXXL'- 

E A -R'N EST S. 



I often fee {lately buildings, fliady groves/ 
chryftal brooks, arid pleafant meadows, of 
which a wicked man perhaps is the owner, 
i then conclude, if Simeon goes away with 
fuch a mefs, what will Benjamin's portion 
A a 3 be I 



278 EARNESTS. 



be ? If IJhmael receive fo large a gift, how 
great (hall be the inheritance otlfaac the fon 
of promife ! Again, when I contemplate my 
temporal fubftance, I blefs my God that I 
have a competency, a fuffic ency, a goodly 
heritage ; that my tents are by the JIM wa- 
ters of plenty, amidft green and pleafant 
Da/iires, and that my portion is from the 
hand of heavenly wifdom. Hence I argue, 
if the Lord giveth me fo much in the time 
of my vanity, what will he do for me, will 
he not give me inconceivably more in the 
day of my glory ? But above all, the fweet 
communion which I enjoy with God, the 
glorious rays that ihine upon me from the 
face of Jefus Chrift, the ravifhing joys that 
arife in my foul by tailing the v/ater of life ; 
thefe fet me, as it were, on the top cf mount 
NebOy and there give me the largeft view of 
ray promifed happinefs. There I conclude, 
If the mercies rnow receive as my earneji 
are fo choice and folacing, how rich, how 
immenfely great, fliall my inheritance be ? 
If the firft fruits are fo fatisfying, how full* 
how fatisfying fhall the harvefl be ? If I enjoy 
fuch a ray of light in my prifon, what a 

gloriou: 



EARNESTS. £7$ 



crlorious fun lhall fhine in my palace ? If 1 
poiTefs fuch joy in the expectation, what 
happinefs will I poiTefs in the confummatiorr 
of what I (hall hereafter and eternally be ? 
If my comforts are fo great upon earth, 
where / know but in part, how high and 
tranfporting will they be, when that which 
is perfefi is come ! How inconceivably happy 
will I be, when I enter that better world, 
where no clouds bedim the underflanding, 
where no evil bias mifleads the will, and 
where forrow and death are eternally un- 
known ! ye/imple, underjiand wifdom ! Ye 
are now invited to partake of Angular blef- 
fings, of treafures that never wax old. In- 
fiantly obey the invitation, elfe ye may hear 
that fentence pronounced agalnft you — thoje 
that were bidden Jhall not tajie of my f upper* 
Behold your need of falvation by Chrift.— 
Learn to afk in faith, and ye lhall receive 
pardon, the fealing of the Spirit of proraife, 
and reviving earnefts of heavenly glory and 
felicity. O believers, how contentedly {hould 
you live ! Though poor in this world, furely 
ye will never complain, fince your fouls have 
now an earneft of the everlafting manna, the 

bread 



no HEAVEN by COMPARISON. 

bread of life that endureth forever Ye v/ill 
rather adore the grace and goodnefs of God 
in giving you the refrefhing, abiding com- 
forts of the Holy Ghoft. Ye will adhere 
to your Redeemer and his gofpel, whatever 
your outward condition be. Ye will walk 
fuitably to your hopes. Ye will long and 
prepare for heaven, where ye fhall receive 
the fulnefs of the joys, of which ye have 
now an earnejl. Your fervent prayer will 
habitually be— Dwell in our fouls as an ear- 
neft of the purchafed 9 promifed pofjejfion, O 
thou eternal, fan&ifying, and comforting 
Spirit ! 



CXXII. 

HEAVEN BY COMPARISON. 

When I behold the fun in his meridian 
: fplendour, I joyfully infer, if one fun make 
fuch a glorious and illuftrious day, what a 
fplendid heaven will that be, in which every 
faint fhall be a fun, and every fun as much 
brighter than the natural fun, as he is 

brighter 



HEAVEN bv COMPARISON. 231 

-&*~~ ■■■■ ! ■ ' , ' : ■ " _ ' J J.U„ 'li~l. I m m ini iiiiimnniiwi — — n ai ■!■ 'i7 bimm m b ~' 

brighter than thefe bodies of clay. Yet all 
thefe funs are but as darknefs, when com* 
pared to the Lord, the Sun of righteoufnefs. 
Again, when I fee the rifing fun, and con- 
fider how, by the perfection of his beams, 
he puts beauty, life, and joy on the face of 
the whole creation; how he paints the 
flowers* and~ cheers the birds, and gilds 
the corn, and makes the vallies to jhout far 
joy ; I then infer, and with rapture antici- 
pate, what (hall be the fhining beauty of 
that foul, upon which the brightnefs of thy 
glory (hail rife and reft, O thou fource of 
light and joy \ I then infer, and with rapture 
anticipate, what (hall be the tranfporting de- 
lights of that foul, into which the fplendour 
of thy beauty {hall fhine to ail eternity, 
thou bright and morning Star! If the Chris- 
tian can rejoice in the God of falvation, with 
joy unfpeakable and full of glory, in this outer 
court, this wildernefs of trouble ; how great 
(hall his joy be, when he (hall be admitted 
within the veil, into thofe regions where fin, 
and. grief, and death are for ever excluded, 
and where he (hall fee his God as he is, and 
be eternally in his company ! If the chrifHan 

paffenger^ 



232 VICISSITUDES. 

paffenger, on the ftormy ocean of human 
life, experienceth fuch ravifhing joys m be- 
holding the defired land afar off; what, O 
what fhall the meafure of his joy be, when 
he reacheth the haven of perpetual repofe ? 
May the hope of glory refrefh and delight 
my foul in my voyage through life, and at 
death may I enter the harbour of everlafling 
joy! 



CXXIII. 
VICISSITUDES. 

By the unalterable law of nature, all 
things haften to an end. An irrefiftible ra- 
pidity hurries every thing to the abyfs of 
eternity; to that awful abyfs, to which all 
things go, and from which nothing returns* 
Confider the world, fellow paffengers, as you 
faw it firft, and as you fee it now. You 
have marked viciffitude and alteration in all 
human affairs. You have feen changes in 
alniofl every department of life. You have 
feen new minifters at the court, new judges 

on 






VICISSITUDES. 28* 



on the bench, and new priefts at the altar 
of the Lord. You have feen different kings 
upon the throne. You have feen peace and 
war, and war and peace again. How many 
of your equals in age have you furvived ? 
How many younger than you have you car- 
ried to the grave ? Year after year, hath 
made a blank in the number of your friends. 
Your own country hath infenfibly become 
a Jirange land, and a new world hath rifen 
around you, before you perceived that the 
old had paffed away. The fame fate that 
hath taken away your friends, awaits you. 
Even now the decree is gone forth. The 
king of terrors hath received his commif- 
fion, and is now on his way. O how fleet- 
ing and vain is life ! To fpeak the truth, 
what is our life but a lingering death ? The 
poet who was afked, What he did, anfwered 
juftly, Paulatim morior, that is, / die by little 
and little, 1 die by degrees. We do but be- 
gin to live indeed, when we begin to live 
unto God. Till then, our life is but a race 
to the fepulchre ; but when we live unto 
God, we are in the way to a bleffed eternity. 
Arife, O mortals, and improve your time. 

Let 



t?84 VICISSITUDES. 



Let no vefliges of folly and guilt be feen be- 
hind you. As Alexander, when he reckoned 
up his age, counted not his years but his 
victories, fo when you take an account of 
your life, reckon not up your time, but only 
your duties. Be thou, O time, as nothing 
in mine eye ; but may eternity be all in all, 
Haften, my foul, to that reft which remaineth 
for the people of God. Teach me, O thou 
Spirit of truth, fo to number my few and un- 
certain days, that I may apply my heart to hea- 
venly wfdotn ! 

Teach me the meafure of my days, 

Thou Maker of my frame ! 
I would furvey life's narrow fpace, 

And learn how frail I am. 

I'm but a fojourner below, 

As all my father's are; 
May I be well prepar'd to go, 

When I the fummons hear* 



ALAKMINO 



ALARMING TRUTHS. 2S5 

cxxiv* 

ALARMING TRUTHS. 

If, O mortals, you have mifemployecl your 
time, that talent which God hath put into 
your hands ; if your life is marked with 
guilt or folly, how will you anfwer to your 
own hearts, at death's awful hour? For, 
previous to the general doom, Almighty 
God hath appointed a day of judgment in 
the bread of every man. The laft hour is 
ordained to pafs fentence on all the reft. — 
The aftions of your former life will there 
meet you again. How will you then an- 
fwer at the bar of your own hearts, when 
the collected crimes of a lengthened life, at 
one view, fhall fiafh conviction on the mind ; 
when the ghqfts of your departed hours, of 
thofe hours which you have murdered, fhall 
rife up in terrible array, and look you in the 
face ? What, O mortals, what would the 
wretch who now lies on a bed of agony, 
extended and groaning, who feels in his 
heart the poifoned arrow of death ; who 
looking back en his pail life, turns afide 
B b from 



«86 ALARMING TRUTHS. 



from the view ; who, looking forward to 
futurity, difcerns no beam of hope to break 
that utter. darknefs which overwhelms him; 
what would he then give for one of thofe 
hours which you now defpife, to make his 
peace with heaven, and fit him for his paf- 
fage into the world unknown? Remember 
that this is no imaginary cafe. It is a cafe 
which may foon be your own. O how act- 
ively, then, ought you to befiir yourfelves 
in faith and holinefs ! How carefully fhould 
every moment of time be feized and improv- 
ed ! If you wafte your fummer of life in 
vanity and floth, what a ftarving winter of 
unceafing vengeance awaits you ! O be wife 
then, while wifdom can avail, and fave your- 
felves from the agony of repenting in bitter- 
nefs of foul, when all repentance may be 
vain. The day of death and judgment is 
at hand. Cajl off the works of darknefs , and 
put on the armour of light. 



IMPORTANT 






IMPORTANT SOLUTIONS. 987 

exxv. 

IMPORTANT SOLUTIONS, 

O thou enlightened, renewed, comforted 
foul! triiee queitions caiS for thy anfwer, 
and thy anfwer calls for thy praife. — What 
waft thou ? What art thou ?, What {halt thou 
be ? Firft, What waft thou ? A rebel to thy 
God, a prodigal to thy Father, a Have to 
thy finful paffions, an alien from the common- 
wealth of Ifrael, a ftranger to the promifes 
of the covenant, without hope of falvatlon by 
■J'efus Chrift, nay without any knowledge of 
Chrift, without faith in .him, without love 
and fubjection to hiai* Secondly, what art 
thou? A child of God, a perfon jufiined 
and pardoned, one begotten of the immortal 
feed, one born of the blood royal of heaven, 
redeemed from hell, a temple of the Holy 
Ghoft, made free, among the denizens of 
Zion, written among the living in Jenf/akffl, 
one openly and vifibly in Chrift ; in a word, 
one having hope of faivation, of the refu'r- 
redlion of the dead,. and of eternal life ; one 
whofe hope is purifying and animating to 
B b 2 the 



238 IMPORTANT SOLUTIONS. 

the foul. — Thirdly, O regenerated foul ! 
what fhalt thou be ? A glorified faint, a 
companion of cherubims, a triumphant con- 
queror, a crowned king, and an attendant 
on the Lamb whitherfoever he gceth, a fpecu- 
lator of thofe foul-ravifhing and ineffable 
excellencies that are in God, a beholder of 
the King of glory face to face, a partaker 
of immediate communion with Jefus Chrift. 
Nay more, thou (halt be made one with the 
Lord, and bear his heavenly image. Thou 
fhalt be clothed with his excellencies, en- 
throned in his glories, crowned with his 
eternity, and filled with his felicity. As r j:e 
have borne the image of the earthy, we f hall 
a I/a bear the image of the heavenly. As af- 
furedly, O believer, as thou art now afinful, 
affii&ed, mortal creature, like the firflAdam, 
fo furely fhalt thou be brought to refemble 
Chrift, the fecond Adam, in purity, glory, 
and immortality. O ftand amazed at free 
grace. And fince God hath made thy foul 
a veffel filled with his love, O make thyfelf, 
thy life, a fpring flowing with his praife. O 
Lord ! let thy foul habitually fay, O Lord ! 
how near wilt thou bring me to thyfelf! 

Shall 



The LOVE of GOD. ss<> 



Shall I abide in thee, and thou in me ; (hall 
we be of one foul and of one fpirit for ever ? 
Shall I be a fharer in thy biifs, a partner in 
thy glory to eternity? O what am I, that 
.thou fhouldft fo remember me! O Lord, 
my Redeemer, let thy mercies fo cpnltraia 
me, that all my affections may run out unto 
thee, and that all my ftrength may run out . 
for thee. 



CXXVI. ' 
THE LOVE OF GOD. 

The love of God implies that awful vene= 
ration, that folemn -dread, which the fupreme 
Majefty of heaven, Jehovah, the king eternal^ 
immerial, invijible, the only wife God, infpires ; 
that profound admiration which infinite per- 
fection excites -, that devotion, .attachment^ 
and acquiefcence, which arife. on the confi* 
deration of inexhauftible goodnefs ; that 
gratitude,- which is produced by benefits 
without -number and meafure ;, and. that de- 
foe of pleafing and fecuring the favour of 
Bbj fte 



290 The LOVE of GOD. 



the adored objeft, which refults from the 
united force of all thefe emotions. Can the 
foul that is not blinded by folly, or hardened 
by vice, confider, without the mod lively 
emotions, that ever-bleffed Being, who ha- 
ving called us into exiftence, and raifed us 
to that rank in creation which is but a little 
lower than the angels , and hitherto prefer ved 
us through the ftages, and amidft the vicif- 
fitudes of life, ftili continues to lead us with 
loving-kindmfs and tender mercy ? Can we 
contemplate, without afteftion, that gracious 
Creator, who having looked with an eye of 
paternal companion on the human race, 
darkened by ignorance, polluted with guilt, 
finking in perdition, and unworthy of deli- 
verance — refolved to pardon and fave us, by 
fubjectmg his only begotten Son to a pain- 
ful life, and to a cruel and ignominious 
death ? Can we meditate, without gratitude, 
on that Father of Spirits, who, in order to 
perpetuate the knowledge of falvation, made 
the Gofpel be configned to uncorrupted re- 
cords, and eftablifhed religious ordinances 
as the (landing means of its falutary appli- 
cation $ who guiding us by his gracious 

Spirit, 



The LOVE of GOD. 291 



Spirit, through the pilgrimage of this world, 
unfolds to us, at its conclufion, the gates of 
ever lading paradife. Blefs the Lord, my 
foul, and forget not all his benefits ! O that my 
underftanding may know him, that my will 
may chufe him, that my affections may de- 
light ia him, that my heart may believe in 
him, that my tongue may confefs him, and 
that my whole life may praife him ! For Je-» 
fas' fake, O gracious, munificent Father ! 
fhed abroad in my heart, and make vififale in 
my conduct, that love of thee, which is 
efteem and veneration for thee, as poffeffed 
of all poffible excellencies ; which is fupreaie 
affe&ion for thee, as the molt fuitable good 
to my foul j and which is gratitude to thee, 
on account of thy actual benignity ; — that 
love of thee which will infpire me with cou- 
rage in defence of the gofpel, the charter of 
my immortal inheritance — that ioveofthee 
which will prove an indubitable evidence 
that I am travelling to the pure abode of 
everlafting love. 



THE 



292 The BEST LIFE. 



CXXVIl. 
THE BEST LIFE. 

Anaxagoras being afked, what he thought 
he was bora for, anfwered nobly, Ut e&lum 
con templar ; that is, that I may contemplate^ or 
meditate upon heaven. O my foul, fhould the 
Christian often afk, what doft thou think 
thou waft re-born for ? Is it not, that thoa 
mayeft live in heaven ? God hath made thee 
to enjoy communion with himfelf. Thou 
necdeft not ftay one hour upon earth, but, 
like Enoch, thou mayeft fpend thy days 
with God, and walk and converfe with Jefus 
Chrift in the galleries of his love. With 
Mofes thou mayeft live on the mount of 
glory. Why then, my precious foul, art 
thou one hour out of heaven? O live fa 
ftri&Iy, and walk fo clofely with God, that 
thou mayeft be able to fay with David- — 
whether I awake in the mornings or whether I 
walk abroad in the day, I am ever with thee* 
Follow on to know the Lord. Expatiate in 
Nature's ample field, and thou wilt find 
profit and inftru&ion blended with delight. 

Explore 



The BEST LIFE. 2DS 



Explore the wonders of eternal Providence* 
and thou wilt fee conftant. caufe to rejoice 
in the thought that there is a God who 
judgeth and ruleth in the earth. Dive 
deeper and deeper, O my foul, into thofe 
myfteries of Grace which angels defire to look 
into^ and break forth into fongs of joy, that 
God is love Let a conviction of the grace 
and mercy of God in Chrifl comfort and 
encourage thee in the hour of deje&ion and 
diffidence- Let a grateful fenfe of divine, 
unmerited favours difpofe thee to, and ani- 
mate thee in the performance of every duty. 
Author and Finifher of my Faith ! let thy 
religion be my chofen courfe ; let my whole 
time be confecrated to thy fervice, and caufe 
me to know that thy yoke is eafy. Let my 
very diverfions be innocent in their nature, 
and always regarded by me as a part of my 
duty, and only as means to fit me for the 
repetition of my neceflary labour. If my 
friends or my country demand my fervice, 
let rue not give place to felfifimafs and in- 
dolence, but as a lover of God and of man- 
kind, generouily exert myfelf for the com- 
mon good, And let the end correfpond ro 

the 



VM The SPIRITUAL TEMPLE. 



the courfe of my faith. Let me live and die 
to thee ^ Lord! On a death-bed let me have 
power confidently to commit my fpirit unto thy 
hands ) to recommend thy Gofpel to furvivors, 
and to glorify thee with my dying breath. 



CXXVIII. 
THE SPIRITUAL TEMPLE. 

Every real Chriftian is the temple of the 
living God. Worldly cares, and earthly 
defires are the buyers and the fellers that pol- 
lute that facred edifice. Now, what an un- 
worthy part is it, to make the houfe of God a 
den of thieves? What an idolatrous fin is it 
to fet up Dagon by the Ark — a carnal de- 
fire by Jefus Chrift ! Again, every power, 
every faculty, every member is a veffel be- 
longing to the temple of the Lord. Now, 
what a debafing thing is it, to take thefe 
golden veffds, and, like the impious, drunk- 
en Belfhazzar, employ them to a bafe, un- 
holy purpofe ! How degrading, to take that 
heart that fhould be. filled with the things of 

God. 



The SPIRITUAL TEMPLE. 2S : 5 



God, and to fill it with impure defires ! — 
How ungrateful and how debating is it, to 
lay open to a fooliih jeft, or to a detracting 
tale, thofe ears that fhould be always ready 
to hear what God the Lord /hall /peak ! How 
inconfiltent, and how unmanly is it, to de- 
file with idle fpeeches, or with lying words, 
that tongue that fhould here be talking con- 
tinually of the wonders of divine grace, and 
that muft, hereafter^ be eternally employed 
in chaunting the praifes of God and the 
Lamb ! How facrilegious, to let out God's 
veffels to fin, and the noble apartments of 
the foul to its grand deflroyer ! Alas, how 
common in the world, are that ingratitude, 
that bafenefs, and that facrilege 1 O fhame 
of human nature i arife from the dull of the 
earth, ye carnal and impure, and lay claim 
to the privileges of the children of God — 
Arife and let the voice of faith, of love, and 
of praife be heard in the temple of the Lord, 
Take warning in time, ye fenfualifts and epi- 
cures, ye riotous and profane, who make it 
your only concern to provide for and gratify 
the flefh. Without holinefs no manjhall jee~ibe 
Lord ; even in this life* fo as to have com- 
munion 



SOS The SPIRITUAL TEMPLE. 

munion with him; and hereafter, fo as to 
behold his glory, both intelledtually and 
corporeally. To fuch a fight, holinefs in 
heart and in conduft is abfolutely neceflary. 
For God is holy, heaven is holy, angels and 
redeemed, glorified men are holy. There- 
fore remember, that unlefs you are holy 
now, that unlefs you now deny yourfelves 
of guilty pleafures, not only your fouls, thofe 
negle&ed, difregarded trifles, muft perifb ; 
but your bodies, your pampered bodies, 
your only care, muft be wretched too. If 
you live and die impenitent and unholy, 
your bodies fhall be eternally hungry, thirfty, 
pained, tortured, hideoufly deformed, mere 
fyflems of pain and loathfomenefs. But if 
you, even you, the impureft of the impure, 
the guiltieft of the guilty, if you now repent 
and obey the Gofpel j if, with your whole 
perfons, you now give glory to the Lord, 
your bodies fhall be raifed refplendent with 
his glory, and be for ever the receptacles of 
the moft exquifite fenfations of pleafure. O 
Lord, my God ! confecrate my powers to 
thy fervice. Dired and ufe them as thy 
own. Let thy temple^ my regenerated foul, 

refound 



VITAL DUTIES. 



refound with thankfgiving and the voice of 
melody. Let me fee paradife reftored be- 
low, and earth bearing fome refemblance of 
heaven. Teach me habitually to glorify 
thee in thought, in word, and in deed. 



CXXIX. 

VITAL DUTIES. 

My duties are upright before God, when 
they turn me into the very nature of them- 
felves. It was St. Hierom's commendation 
of Napolitan, that by his continual reading, 
and daily meditation, he made his bread the 
very Jibrary of Chrift. This is the praife of 
a Chriflian, when he fo heareth as that the 
word abideth in him, and is, as it were, in- 
corporated with him ; when he fo readeth 
as to make himfelf a living epiftle, fo that 
the world readeth again in his life what he 
hath read before in the word of God ; when 
he fo prayeth as that all his petitions, like 
fo many living veins, run through the fyftem 
of his practice. When a Chriftian's duties 
G c are 



298 VITAL DUTIES. 

are the fire, and when his life, or condufr 
is the incenfe ; this is the only fweet, pleaf- 
ing, acceptable facrifice in the fight of God 
Till worfhip is diftilled into practice, it is 
but an empty cloud. Till duties are as vi- 
tals in our conduct, they are but dead per 
formanees. Therefore, O Lord, let my du- 
ties receive life from thy Spirit, and let my 
conduct receive life from thofe duties.— 
Blejfed art thou, Lord., teach me thy Jiatutes . 
O communicate to me that bieffed inftruc- 
tion, which will conform me to thy nature, 
that I may live thy life, and blefs thy name 
forever. Let thy word, O God, be my lef* 
fon ; and let thy Spirit be my inflrudtor and 
mailer. O thou enlightning Spirit ! (hew 
and teach me thofe fteps, by which Lmay 
afcend towards heaven, rejoicing in the hope 
■of future glory. 



AK 



An EVIL HEART. 299 



cxxx. 

AN EVIL HEART, 

Saint Bafil perfuaded himfelf, that if he 
were in a wildernefs, free from the company 
of men, he ihould be happy, andferve God 
more devoutly. But when he came there, 
he faid, I have forfaken all things, but, alas, 
I find 1 have retained my old heart. How 
fimilar is the event with every upright Chrif- 
tian ! How often, faith one, candidly, hath 
the above been my cafe ! I have often fought 
the mod private place for my perfonal de* 
votions ; I have often prefled to hear the 
bed preacher, and to enjoy the bed means 
of grace, thinking to gain much ground in 
the advantages of the place and of the or- 
dinance ; and yet I received but little good, 
becaufe I ftill carried with me an evil heart, 
This is that remora, that let or obfcacle, that 
retards my {hip in its courfe to heaven. — - 
Thus I find that it is not he who, with St, 
Bafil, treads the path of retirement, that 
groweth in grace ; but he who, with that 
pious Father, walks previoufly into the 
C c 2 cloifters 



300 An EVIL HEART. 

ctoiiters of his own heart, into the fecret 
places and crooked turnings of his own fpi- 
rit. It is not he, I find, that cometh to the 
pure ordinances, who advanceth and im- 
proveth his communion with God ; but he 
that bringeth thither a pure and prepared 
heart. O Lord ! I have often fearched my 
heart, and ftill it deceiveth me in the fearch. 
Search me, God, and know my heart ; try 
me, and knozv my thoughts* And fee if there 
be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the 
way everlajling. O come, and fit my heart 
for every duty, that my every duty may be 
fit for.thyfelf. Enable me not only to de- 
throne, but daily to fet my feet on the neck 
of the old man of fin. Should the hottefl 
furnace of adverfity be found neceffary to 
purge the drofs from the filver, O diffolve 
me in it, and bring me forth new formed, 
fo that I may only become a veffel of honour, 
fitted for thy ufe here below, and vouch- 
fafed a place afterwards in thy temple above. 



WARFARE 



WARFARE. 301 



CXXXL 

W A R FAR E, 

Princes combat with fiefli and blood, .— 
Ghriftians wreftle with principalities and 
powers. The wars of the former give days 
of truce ; but thofe of the latter allow not a 
moment of ceflation. With thofe, condi- 
tions of peace may. obtain a retreat ; with 
thefe, nothing. but death can raife the fiege. 
Kings, afraid of being overcome, may fave 
themfeives by flight ; but Ghriftians may as 
ibon fly from themfeives as from their ene- 
mies. Whatever can make a battle danger- 
ous is in the Chriftian warfare* whether 
policy, or power, or cruelty, or perpetuity. 
Not only the powers of the earth, but all 
the powers and (tratagems of hell, are en- 
gaged againft the enlightened and. renewed 
foul, fo that a Chriftian m not in a garri- 
ion of reft, but in a field of conflict ;. and he 
cannot let fall his hands, but A 'ma/ek prevails. 
Not to be a conqueror is to be a prifcner. 
Not to win the battle is to lofe the foul. O 
Chriftian! fecurity wounds thee, yielding 
C c 3 kills. 



zm WARFARE. 



kills thee, and nothing but victory faves and 
crowns thee. Therefore, watch as for thy 
life ; and fight as for thy foul. The time 
is at hand, when the enemies which thou 
feed to-day, thou {halt fee no more for ever. 
The period is near, when thou (halt lay down 
thy fword, and take up thy palm, and fo- 
lemnize thy victory in glory to eternity. — 
Hear, apply, and be encouraged by the fol- 
lowing fimilitude, from profane hiftory. — 
To a man who had been reheariing a mourn- 
ful oration in praife of thofe who were flain 
in battle by the Lacedemonians, Ariftotle 
made this reply — S^uales igitur nofiros effe 
putas qui ijios vicerunt ? that is, If thofe were 
fuch brave and valiant men^ what dofl thou 
think zve were who conquered them ? What, 
O ChrifHan warrior, though thou now read- 
eft a fad and frightful relation of the power 
and policy of thy adverfaries, and by heavy 
experience findeft the account to be true ? 
Yet how glorious (halt thou one day appear 
when, in theftrength of thy Redeemer, thou 
fhalt have overcome thefe formidable foes ! 
What though thy affaults be many, and thy 
enemies mighty ? If Jefus Chrift, thy omni- 
potent 



LOSSES COMPENSATED. sos 

potent Head, ftrengthen thee, the conquefl 
is certain. Yea, thou fhalt be more than' a 
conqueror. Having thus overcome, thou 
flialt have abundant confolation ; for the 
greater thy enemy, the more glorious thy 
viftory ; and the more fignal thy vi£lory> 
the more triumphant thy glory. 

Then let my foul march boldly on, 
Prefs forward to the heavenly gate ; 

There peace and joy eternal reign, 
And glittering robes for conqu'rors wait* 

There mall I wear a glorious crown, 

And triumph in Almighty grace ; 
While all the armies .of the fides 

.Join in my glorious Leader's, praife. 



CXXXIL 

LOSSES COMPENSATED. 

I have feen fome Chriftians who, for or- 
dinary lofles, were inordinate in their grief j 
as if not only the ftream but the fountain 
had been exhaufted. Whereas if the un- 
demanding part of the foul did truly exert 
itfelf, it would readily and coacluiively rea- 

fon 



SOI LOSSES COMPENSATED. 

fon thus :— What ! mud the frream of my 
forrow run altogether in this low and worldly 
channel ? Is there no mourning to be made 
for fin ? Shall I fuffer my heart to fwim away 
in tears? Are there no duties to be per- 
formed for God ? And do I not know that 
a fad and troubled heart cannot ferve a gra- 
cious God ? I have loll the creature,, but I 
mud keep my God. I have parted with an 
outward comfort, but I fhall meet it again 
with advantage in Jefus Ghrift, my all. 
I have loft fomething, but were it more, 
were it all that I had, fo that I were not the 
owner of any thing ; yet enjoying Jefus 
Chrift, I fhould be the poffeffor of all things. 
Therefore the failing ftream fhall only fend 
me to the flowing fountain. Did the foul 
exert itfelf thus, .it would quickly fweeten 
thofe bitter waters, and inflantly turn thofe 
tears into fongsof praife. Chriftian ! when 
thou grieved for the lofs of the creature ; 
let it be in the caufe, which is fin ; fo fhall 
thy forrow. be rgodly and not worldly. — 
Never be fatisfied, till thou makeft good 
the. abfence of the creature ; — but let that 
be in the fountain of happinefs, which is the 

Lord 



j 



VARIETY of CONDITION. S05 



Lord Jefus Chrift ; fo fhall thy lofs bs 
thy unfpeakable gain. Perfect, O my God, 
that which concerneth me, and make all 
things work together for my prefent and 
future good. Be my guide and governor 
even unto death. Be my comfort and fupport 
in my dying hour, and my everlafting por- 
tion and happinefs in the world to come.— 
Amen. 



CXXXIIL 

VARIETY OF CONDITION, 

How often do I fee my comforts rife and 
fall ! One while a Chriftian is on Mount 
Tabor, and there hath a glance of the hea- 
venly g]ory. Another while he lies in the 
valley of Bochim, weeping becaufe he hath 
loft the fight of the better,theheavenly coun- 
try. Joihua's long day is many a time turn- 
ed into Paul's fad and forrowful night. The 
God of love would quicken and enliven our 
affections. Now and then, therefore, he 
gives us a glimpie of heaven, that we may 

love 



306 BENEFIT of ADVERSITY. 

love what we behold ; and now and then 
he veils from our eyes that blefled vifion,that 
we may not loathe what we formerly loved. 
He fuffers our happinefs here to be imper- 
fect, that we may be preffing on to that 
place, where we fhall be perfectly happy.—- 

Lord, my Redeemer and my portion 1 
when thou fheweft thyfelf, let me love thee j 
and when thou withdraweft thyfelf, let me 
follow thee. Amidft all the changes which 

1 meet with, let my foul be always breathing, 
longing, panting, and reaching after thee, 
till I fhall fo perfectly enjoy thee, that I (hall 
never, never lofe thee. 

And fhall the world's deceitful fmile 
Us of this glorious hope beguile ? 
Shall we earth's empty pleafures prize, 
And heaven feem little in our eyes ? 
It muft not be — vain dreams away, 
We look for joys which ne'er decay* 



CXXXIV. 
BENEFIT OF ADVERSITY. 

Mankind, like Ifrael in the wildernefs, are 
often murmuring becaufe Providence leads 

thenx 



BENEFIT o f AD VE R SITY. so? 

them about in a howling defart, where they 
are expofed to many (traits. They fee not 
all at once, and believe not that he is lead- 
ing them through this or that trial or diftrefs^ 
by the right way to a city of habitation. — - 
They forget that the fame bleffed word which 
fays, Bleffed is the man whom thou chufejl\ and 
caufeji to approach unto thee, fays alfo, Bleffed 
is the man whom thou chafteneft, Lord* He 
is but a novice in the fchool of Chrift, who 
has not learned to fuffer. The beft affedtions 
of the heart, the noblefl graces of the foul, 
the highefl virtues of the life, the offering 
that is mod acceptable to heaven, arife from 
the proper improvement of adverfity. The 
bleffed in heaven, whom the prophet faw 
arrayed in white before the throne, came out 
of great tribulation* The bleffed in heaven 
whom he heard ffnging the fong of Mofes and 
the Lamb) learned the firft notes of it on the 
bed of forrow. If, therefore, let the Chrif- 
tian fay, if among the means by which God 
hath determined to prepare me for glory, 
there be a number of afflictions, {hall I mur- 
mur and repine ? Would I rather be without 
fpiritual health to my foul, than take this or 

that 



SOS BENEFIT of ADVERSITY. 



that bitter potion ? Would I more willingly 
lofe heaven, a region of everlafting light 
and joy, than remain a fhort time, a moment 
only, in darknefs and forrow ? No. I will 
rejoice in affii&ions, as the bed means of 
preparing many fons and daughters for the 
enjoyment of the heavenly glory. O my 
Father and my God ! let my light afflictions, 
which are but for a moment, work for me, by 
way of meetnefs, a far more exceeding, even 
an eternal weight of glory. When my heart 
becomes proud, fend me humbling provi- 
dences. When my withering foul would 
wifh to dwell at eafe among the creatures, O 
roufe me from this Hate of carnal fecurity, 
by fome awakening calls. When I would 
loker and faint by the way, O quicken my 
pace, and convince me that this world is nei- 
ther my home nor my portion. O let every 
tear that fails from mine eyes ; let every 
figh that arifes from my breaft j let every 
fad complaint that droppeth from my lips, 
be over-ruled for my real, my future good ; 
and become a means of heightening my 
blifs and glory, in a heavenly world. 

TRANSFORMING 



TRANSFORMING INTERCOURSE. 309 



exxxv. 

TRANSFORMING INTERCOURSE. 

We naturally aflame the tone of thofe 
with whom we frequently converfe, and 
whom we dearly love. At the focia!, friendly 
banquet the eye fparkles with delight, the 
heart expands, the brow is fmoothed, the 
tongue is infpired by the law of kindnefs, 
every look is the reception or communication 
of pleafure. In the houfe of mourning we 
fpeedily feel ourfelves in unifon with the af- 
flicted ; our eyes Hand correfted, our words 
are few, our hearts droop. In the cell of 
melancholy, the blood runs cold, the fea- 
tures relax, our powers of thought and re- 
flection are fufpended with thofe of the 
moping wretches whofe mifery we deplore, 
What wonder, then, if Mofes defcending 
from the Mount, after forty days familiar 
intercourfe with the Lord God merciful and 
gracious i had not the appearance of an ordi- 
nary man ; that he had acquired a luftre not ' 
his own ? — And when Aaron, and all the 
children cfJfrael faw Mofes, behold the fkin 
Dd' cf 



S10 TRANSFORMING INTERCOURSE. 



cf his face fhone, and they were afraid to come 
nigh him. What a fublime .idea does this 
fugged of communion with God ! What a 
glorious creature is the friend of God !— 
Steady, perfevering intercourfe with heaven, 
in meditation, prayer, and thankfgiving will 
infallibly transform the whole man into the 
image of God. The very exterior will be 
meliorated and improved^ and the world it- 
felf will take knowledge of the difciple who has 
been with Jefus. The exercifes of the clofet 
will be feen and felt in the ferenity of the 
countenance, the kindftefs of the eye, the 
melody of the voice, the affability and gra- 
cioufnefs of the whole deportment. How 
glorioufly does fuch a perfon fhine in the 
eyes of men ! But that is nothing. How 
glorioufly does he fhine in the eyes of God ! 
And that is true glory which God fees to be 
fuch. Is it of importance then to enquire, 
at what particular moment, and through 
what particular medium this fingular appear- 
ance, this effect of intercourfe with heaven, 
was produced ? No. Is it not fufficient for 
me, that I fee the fruit haftening to its ma- 
turity, though the commencement and pro- 

grefs 



TRANSFORMING INTERCOURSE. sit 

grefs of vegetation efcape me ? I look up and 
behold the face of the fun, and draw com- 
fort from his beams, though the discriminat- 
ing inftant of darknefs and the dawning was 
too fine for my perception. Let me be able 
to fay, with the man reftored to fight, one 
thing I know, that whereas I was blind^ now I 
fee, and I fhali leave to others a minute en- 
quiry into the procefs of the cure- Shew 
me a man fhining in the beauty of holinefs j 
a man really changed in heart and in life, 
and I will not trouble him to tell me what 
perhaps he does not know, and there- 
fore cannot declare ; at what place- 
by means of what preacher — or by what 
difpenfation of Providence, the important 
change paffed upon him* O may I know 
what it is to have communion and fellow- 
Ihip with the Father, and with his Son Jefus 
Chrift, through the light and power of the 
Holy Ghoit ! This may I know in a deep 
and humbling fenfe of my own unworthi- 
nefs and guilt ; in a lively apprehenfion of 
the mercy of God, through Jefus Chrift ; in 
a rooted deteftation of every fin, and in a 

heart 
Dds 



I 12 CHARITY BETTER than WEALTH. 



heart glowing with continued defires to be 
holy ; with defires to know more of God, 
to love him more, and ferve him better. 



CXXXYI. 

CHARITY BETTER THAN WEALTH. 

Were earthly riches true riches, yet they 
are not ours. Or were they ours, yet they 
were not real and true, becaufe they are not 
ufeful to the immortal fpirit of man. Nay, 
for the moft part, our golden heaps are but 
the miferable fpoils of precious fouls. And, 
after all cur care and toil, they are not ours, 
for w r e cannot carry them with us when we 
leave this world. Then/col, this night Jhall thy 
foul ke required of thee ; then who fe Jhall thofe 
things be which thou haji provided ? Thou 
greedy, avaricious, gluttonous fool ! whofe 
Jhall thofe things be, when darknefs clofes 
thine eyes, when thou art gone into a land 
where all things are forgotten, or rather 
fhamefully remembered to thy reproach and 
mifery ? Whofe Jhall thofe things be, when 

riches 



CHARITY BETTER thah WEALTH. 213 



riches (hall be poverty, and triumphs re- 
proaches ? Whofe ! when darknefs fhall over- 
fpread thy glory, and a never-dying worm 
prey upon thy conference. Thofe things 
which are of the world, faith St. Ambrofe, 
we fhall leave behind us in the world ; vir- 
tue only is the companion of the dead ; thefe 
things fhall fail us, but our good works fhall 
follow us, and abide with us for ever. To 
the fame purpofe>fpeaketh the poet elegantly 
and emphatically : — 



-Ah ! whither now are fled 



Thofe dreams of greatnefs r thofe unfoiid hopes 
Of happinefs \ thofe longings after fame ? 
Thofe reftlefs cares ? thofe bufy buftling days \ 
Thofe gay-fpent feftive nights ? thofe veering 

thoughts 
Loft between good and ill, thai fhar'd thy life I 
All now are vanifh'd ! Virtue fole furvives,. 
Immortal, never-failing friend of man, 
His guide to happinefs on high. 

O mortal ! wouldeft thou be truly rich ?— 
Be rich in holinefs, rich in doing good # Let 
the poor receive thy fuperfiuities, and thy 
fubftance fhall encreafe. Lodge the ftranger^ 
and thou (halt be hofpitable to thyfelf. Vifit 
the fick, and thou fhalt thereby fecure the 
health of thy foul. For he that giveth to tht 
D d 3 poor 



314 The HAPPY RESEMBLANCE. 

poor lendeth to the Lord, and he will repay it 
an eternal fold. O thou giver of every 
good and perfeft gift ! if thy hand filleth 
my cup with worldly wealth, make the due 
ufe of riches familiar to my underftanding. 
Give me prudence to confider the gracious 
intent of the gift, and lead me to fuch a wife 
diflribution of my fubftance, as fhall fecure 
and perpetuate the bleffing ; as fhall be be- 
neficial to myfelf, pleafing to thee, the Su- 
preme Donor, and lading in the entail upon 
a virtuous poflerity. 



CXXXVIL 
THE HAPPY RESEMBLANCE. 

The defer we aflbciate with Jefus Chrift, 
the nearer will the affimilation be. Mofes 
did but talk with God, and how did his face 
fhine with rays of divinity I You may quickly 
know a foul that converfes, and is familiar 
with Chrift. You will perceive it fliining 
with his glory. As wlfdom makes the face ta 
ftnne, fo Jefus Chrift, the wlfdom- of God, 

makes 



, The HAPPY RESEMBLANCE. 615 

makes the foul in which he dwells, to fhine 
with his beauty, and to fhine to his praife 
and glory. We fee that it has been with 
Jefus. We fee by the itrong . refle&ion of 
the beams of righteoufnefs and holinefs, that 
fuch afoul has long been contemplating the 
Sun of righteoufnefs. That foul, that man 
carries the very image of Chrift upon him, 
and the very beauty of Chrift about him. — 
He looks like Chrift, he fpeaks like Chrift, 
he lives like Chrift, he is perfectly like 
Chrift, and knows that he comes from 
Chrift. O how happy is the refult! The 
foul that is always beholding the glory of the 
Lord, Jhall be changed into the fame image from 
glory to glory. If the foul be fo glorious 
now, with beholding the Lord darkly , re- 
fiexively, as in a glafs? and with enjoying 
him at a diftance ; O how glorious fhall it 
be, when it (hall fee him clearly and dire£tly 5 
face to face ^ and enjoy immediate communion 
with him ! Then, ye righteous in the Lord, 
then ihall ye fee him as he is? and be like 
him indeed, Your fouls fliall be like his 
foul. Your bodies fliall be like his glorified 
body, Your glory (ball- be like his glory. 

Your 



31$ The HAPPY RESEMBLANCE. 

Your eternity {hail be like his eternity. Be- 
hold what manner of love the Father hath be- 
/lowed upon you y that you foould be called the 
children of God ! Cicero fpake at random 
when he faid, — At decus et Ubertatem nati 
fumas ; that is, We are born to liberty and 
honour. It is thou, O redeemed, regenerated 
foul, that art born to liberty, honour, and 
glory. It is thou who art clothed with the 
fun, and crowned with the ftars, and reck- 
oned among the angels of God. O think 
upon, and a& up to thy dignity. Shall a 
king live like a beggar ? Art thou born of 
God, and wilt thou live like a finful, perifh- 
ing man ? Hath God endowed thy foul with 
the higheft excellencies, with unfading pre- 
rogatives , and wilt thou (lain thy noble, 
heavenly nature with empty, dying vanities ? 
Mayeft thou feed upon Chrift, the bread of 
life ; and wilt thou ever incline to feed upon 
duft ? Shalt thou fit to judge the world ; 
and wilt thou ever be a drudge to the world ? 
Hath Chrift prepared a manfion in the hea- 
vens for thee ; and wilt thou be perpetually 
grovelling in the earth ? Art thou a child 
of light } and wilt thou commit the works 

of 



ASSURANCE, 317 



of darknefs ? No. Thou wilt fay and adt 
with Seneca — lam born to greater and higher 
things than to be ajlave to vile deftres^ or a 
drudge to the world. No. Thou wilt fay 
and aft with St. Paul; lam rifen withChrifi ; 
/ will therefore feek thofe things which are 
above i where Chri/i fitteth on the right hand 
of God ; the things that are pure, indepen- 
dent, divine, and unfading. 



CXXXVIIL 
ASSURANCE. 

A man who knows the mifery of fin, who 
groans under the weight of his own depra- 
vity, and enters into the fentiment, while he 

utters the language of the Apoftle 

wretched man that I am 9 who Jhall deliver me 
from the body of this death ? — a man who, 
after having experienced the terrible agita- 
tions of a confcience diftreffed on account of 
fin, hath been freed from all his fins at the 
foot of the croft, and put on the yoke of his 
Redeemer; a man who, having feen in 

himfelf 



313 ASSURANCE. 



himfelf the true chara&ers of a Chriftian, 
and the never-failing graces annexed to 
evangelical mercy, has learned at length to 
pierce through all the clouds which. Satan 
ufes for concealing heaven from the Chrif- 
tian's eye, and lay all the ghofts which the 
enemy of fouls raifes to haunt mankind into 
terror ; — a man who refts on the word of 
God, which flandeth for ever, even when 
heaven and earth are pafled away : fuch a man 
may fay with St. Paul, I am perfuaded ; fuch 
a man may affure himfelf, that only glorified 
fpirits enjoy a happinefs fuperior to his. He 
is arrived at the higheft degree of felicity, to 
which man can come in this valley of tears. 
He has attained pleafures fuitable to an in- 
telligent, immortal creature. Above ail, 
fuch a perfuafion, fuch a well-grounded 
hope, of pardon and immortal life, fupports 
him againft, or rather raifes him above the 
fear of death. Mortal and dying as we are, 
in a (late where the fmalleft alteration in the 
body reminds us of death, what can we wifh 
for more conformable to our wants, than to 
find in a firm hope of eternal felicity, a 
fliield to fecure us againft the enemy, and a 

fword 



ASSURANCE. s«- 

1777." ■ " ■ii . firiMiumwuiw i nr iiii— — a u' 

fwofd to deiiroy him ? O how wife are all 
who drive and pray till they arrive at this 
happy date ! But, O how foolifh are they 
who are groundlefsly fecure ! To congratu- 
late themfelves for having obtained the end 
before they have made ufe of the means; 
to ftretch out the hands to receive the crown, 
before they have been employed to fight the 
battle ; to be content with a falfe peace, and 
to ufe no efforts to obtain the graces, to 
which true confolation is annexed ; this, 
this is a dreadful calm, like that which fome 
voyagers defcribe, a Angular, but certain 
fore-runner of a very terrible event. All on 
fudden, in the wide ocean, the fea becomes 
calm, the air ferene, the furface of the water 
fmooth as glafs, and clear as cryftaL The 
linfkilled paffenger becomes tranquil and 
happy ; but the old mariner trembleth. In 
an inftant the fea froths, the winds murmur, 
the heavens kindle, a thoufand gulphs open, 
a frightful light inflames the air, and every 
wave threatens fudden death. This is an 
image of too many people's affurance of fal- 
vation. Over thofe who are thus ground- 
lefsly fecure, I would (hed tears of compaf- 

fion# 



S20 ASSURANCE, 

fion. Yes, from the bottom of my foul, I 
lament their mifery. O ye fimple ! what 
obftinate, irrational folly are ye poffefled of, 
to live under an economy, in which the 
mod tranfporting joys are fet before you, 
and yet wilfully to deprive yourfelves of 
them! Fools! when will you be wife? O 
come, and underftand the wifdom of falva- 
tion ; the wifdom of fecuring an intcreft in 
the Lord Jefus Chrift, and a proper know- 
ledge of that intereft. Never forget that the 
comforts which arife from the do£lrine of 
affurance are not for all Chriftians indif- 
ferently ; that they are only for thofe who 
continually ftudy faith and obedience ; that 
they are for thofe only, who have feen into 
a heart deceitful above all things, arid dejpe- 
rately wicked, and who have found, even" 
there, the marks of regeneration ; that they 
are for thofe only, who, by a life entirely 
devoted to the fervice of God, have demon- 
ftrated that they bear the chara&ers of his 
children. O Chriftians ! continue to pray 
and to drive. And if, after ye have be- 
Hevingly and fincerely laboured for affurance 
of eternal life, there remain any doubt and 
e fufpicion 



ASSURANCE. 32Jf 



fufpicion, be not deje&ed, but be affured 
that even your fufpicions and fears (hall con« 
tribute to your confirmation. Thefe, believe 
it, will not be accounted crimes ; they will, 
at mod be only frailties, they will be infir- 
mities productive of motives to go on in ho- 
linefs, and to eftablifh peace in the confcience. 
O thou ever-blefled Spirit of holinefs and 
comfort ! bear witnefs with my fpirit, that I 
am one with Jefus Chrift, and that nothing 
fhall ever be able to feparate me- from his 
unchangeable, everlafting love ! May I never 
refemble thofe fools in religion,who confider 
an affiirance of arriving at heavenly happi« 
nefs, as a privilege that fupplies the want 
of every virtue ! But while I profefs to feel 
the grace, may I never fail to exhibit the 
fruits of affurance,//? living foberly, righteoujly^ 
and godly ! 



When I can fee my title clear 
-To manfions in the fides, 

I'll bid farewell to every fear, 
And wipe my weeping eyes. 



Ee 



TRIUMPH 



322 TRIUMPH over DEATH. 



CXXX1X. 

TRIUMPH OVER DEATH, 

The Lord Jefus Chrift fwallowed up death 
in victory. How eoftly that vidtory ! The 
Lord of life fuffered and died, — How com- 
plete that victory ! The Lord dieth no more ; 
death hath no more dominion over him ; 
and at the appointed hour he will complete 
the falvation, the vi&ory of his people. O 
how glorious that victory ! The Lord our 
Surety hath conquered the mightieft of con- 
querors. But the triumph mull follow. 

The Lord of glory triumphed over death by 
afcending into heaven, and fitting down at 
the right hand of the Majefly on high ;— - 
leading captive, at the fame time, death's 
principalities and powers. But he triumphs 
not for himfelf only, but for his people alfo, 
as their Surety and Reprefentative. Af- 
cended, he triumphs by fending his word 
and fpirit to roll away the itone from the 
grave of fpiritual death, in which his people 
are interred. Death inftantly quits his prey. 
The dead foul arifeth, and is quickened with 

fpiritual 



TRIUMPH over DEATH. $m~ 

fpiritual life. Its old things are done away,, 
and it is renewed to holinefs. The Lord 
triumphs alio, by condu&ing his people 
fafely through death's awful gulph. Thro* 
this gulph the finner paffes alone and un- 
protected. The waters troubled and boif- 
terous by reafon of fin, throw him out, like 
a wreck, on the land of darknefs and woe. 
But through the waters that flow in that 
difmal gulph, in death 9 s dark vale, the Re- 
deemer paffes with his people. The waters 
of death are driven back. The fears of 
death are fmitten by the conqueror's rod. — ■ 
They ftand upon a heap, on the right hand 
and on the left : and the redeemed pafs after 
the Redeemer in fafety and in triumph.— 
'Arrived in the promifed, happy land, the 
ranfomed exult in the joy of their Lord.— 
But death retains its power over the body. 
The flefli, however, refteth in hope. What 
death took many years to conquer, the Lord 
Jefus Chrift (hall recover in a moment at 
the twinkling of an eye, at the found of the loft 
tramp : for the trumpet foail found, and the 
dead Jhall be raifed incorruptible. Thenjhall 
be brought to pafs the faying that is zvriiten, 
E e 2 Death: 



324 TRIUMPH over DEATH. 



Death is /wallowed up in viflory. O how 
refplendent is the triumph of the Lord of 
glory, the Lord mighty in battle ! Behold 
by faith the King of faints at the head of 
his triumphant army. O how fplendid his 
appearance ! How dazzling the glory of his 
image upon his people ! Jefus Chrift their 
life appears. They now appear with him in 
glory, the glory of his viSory and triumph. 
One thing more renders the triumph com- 
plete. The Lord conducts his people into 
his chambers of joy ; and then he fhuts up 
death in the lake of fir c ; there to prey for 
ever on its proper ohjefts, the foes of him- 
felf, the all-conquering and triumphant 
Meffiah. 

Lord of glory, conqueror of death and 
the grave, triumphant leader of the countlefs 
multitude of redeemed men ! free me from 
the power of death fpiritual and eternal. — 
Dwell in my foul, as the hope of glory. — 
I^et me have grace to be flrong In thy 
power ; to watch againfl dead works j to 
love, to obey, to imitate, to live and to die 
in thee, O Lord, In life and in death, let 

me 



The NEW JERUSALEM. S2J 



me conquer and triumph with thee. Be- 
yond the grave, let me enter the city of 
habitation, and fee thy face for evermore,. 



CXL. 

THE NEW JERUSALEM, 

Glorious things are fpoken of thee, thou 
city of God. I fee thee not, indeed, as yet ; 
but I hear of thy {lability, thy unity, thy 
beauty, and thy magnificence. O how di- 
vinely built ! How numerous thine inhabi- 
tants ! How aftoniihing thy order, thy go- 
vernment, and thy privileges ! O what viuon 
and perfeft pofleffion of peace, and happinefs 
are in thee! There, divine, perfons fit en- 
throned, and thither the tribes of God, the 
faved nations,, go up to celebrate their end- 
lefs feftival. Thither thefe kings carry all 
their glory. Their grace attends them, and 
their good works do follow them, There, 
God is their fole monarch; Jefus Chrifi their 
minifter of rule and direction ; divine per- 
fons, holy angels, and jujl men mide perfect^ 
E e 3 their- 



326 The NEW JERUSALEM. 

their fole companions ; Jefus* palace and 
throne their only refidence ; Jehovah's ever- 
lading fulnefs, their fole fountain and fea ; 
the Divine Spirit, with his immortal joys, 
their only rivers and ftreams ; Jefus Chrift, 
their ever-prefent, unforbidden tree of know - 
ledge, and their unguarded, all-acceffible, 
and all-bearing tree of life ; God and the 
Lamb their only light, their unclouded, un- 
letting fun ; the unveiled face of an incarnate 
God their only oracle and ordinance ; God 
in Chrift, their only provifion, their only 
treafure ; conformity to God, their conftant 
attainment, their common afpeft j divine 
righteoufnefs, their white, their only rai- 
ment ; rapturous acclamations of praife, 
their only employment ; endlefs honour, life, 
and glory, their firm, unfading crown. O 
bleffed city] where there is no ficknefs, no 
forrow, no pain, no death, no curfe ; but 
where holinefs reigns, felicity overflows, and 
God is all- in all. O bleffed city ! where 
we fhall know all things ; where we (hall 
under ftand, nature, grace, and glory; where 
the Lord, our everlafting light, fhall folve 
all our difficulties and obje&ions j and where 

>we 



The NEW JERUSALEM. 327 

we {hall fee God face to face. O when (hall 
I enter in by the gates into the city ? When 
fhall I hear defcending angels fay unto me, 
Cfi Thy labours and thy forrows are at an 
end ; the hour of thy enlargement is come ; 
put off mortality and mifery at once ; quit 
thy houfe of bondage, and the land of thy 
captivity ; fly forth, and afcend with us to 
the houfe not made with hands, eternal in the 
heavens } " Fly fwift, ye lingering moments, 
that I may hear thefe cheering accents. O 
my foul ! quit thy duft. Anticipate thefe 
periods of felicity, and fay with Mofes,— 
Lordjjhew me thy glory. O Lord, drffipate 
the clouds and darknefs that are around thy 
throne. O Lord, (horten the time that fe- 
parates us. Let me die to become immor- 
tal. Let me die to enjoy God. O Lord, 
let all my defires be heavenly, and never let 
me reft, till I reft in thee. Happy to form 
fuch elevated wifhes ! Happier (till to fee 
them accomplifhed ! Happy, unfpeakably 
happy w r as the man — at death may I be able 
to join with him — who took his leave of this 
vale of tears in the following feraphic fong ! 

What 




3 28 The NEW JERUSALEM. 



What joy, while thus I view the day,. 
That warns my thirsting soul away, 

What transports fill my breast 
For, lo, my great Redeemer's p: 
Unfolds the everlasting door, . 

And leads me to his rest. 

The festal morn, my God, is come, 
That calls me to the hallowed dome, 

Thy presence to adore ; 
My feet the summons shall attend, 
With willing steps thy courts ascend. 

And tread th' ethereal floor. 

E'en now to my expecting eyes 

The heav'n-built towers of Salem rise. 

E'en now, with glad survey, 
I view, her mansions that contain 
Th' angelic forms, an awful train, 

And shine with cloudless day. 

Hither, from earth's remotest end, 
Lo, the redeemed of God ascend, 

Their tribute hither bring : 
Here crowned with everlasting joy, 
In hymns of praise their tongues employ. 
And hail th' immortal king : 

Great Salem's King ; who bids each state 
On her decrees dependent wait ; 
In. her,- e'er time begun, 

High 



The NEW JERUSALEM. S29 



High on eternal base uprear'd, 
His hands the regal seat prepar'd 
For Jesse's favour'd son. 

Mother of cities ! o'er thy head 

See 'peace, with healing wings outspread, 

Delighted fix her stay. 
How blest, who calls himself thy friend! 
Success his labours shall attend, 
And safety guard his way, 

Thy wails,, remote from hostile fear, 
Nor .the loud Yoice of tumult hear, 

Nor war's \?ild wastes deplore ; 
There smiling plenty takes her stand, 
And in thy courts with lavish hand, 

Has pour'd forth all her store. 

Let me, blest seat, my name behold 
Among thy citizens enroll'd, 

In thee for ever dwell. 
Let charity my steps attend, 
My sole companion and my friend, 

And faith and hope farewell!* 



* Merrick's tranflation of Theodore Zuinger's Latin 
Paraphrafe of the I22d Pfalm, with which he took his 
leave of this vv odd. 



330 FULNESS or JOY. 

- IW-- 11 | ' I ■ H I ■ ^ ! I « ■! « ! Ill I — — " 

GXLI. 

FULNESS OF JOY. 

Shall we always dwell in darknefs ? Shall 
we always walk in fear of fnares and of 
death t No. Soon (hall the day of immor- 
tality dawn. Soon fhall we enter on the 
joys of eternity. Yet a little while, O 
weary pilgrim, and thou (halt enterinto the 
manfions prepared for thee, in thy Father's 
houfe. Prefently (halt thou derive know- 
ledge and joy from their inexhauftible fource, 
Thou fhak dweil in the prefence of God, 
where there is fulnefs of joy. Yes. Thine 
eyes endowed with new powers (hall for 
ever behold the glory of Immanuel ;— of 
him, who is thy wonderful Days-man, the 
marrow of thy love, the life of thy joys, the 
fountain of thy comfort, the centre of thy 
heart, the brigbinefs of the Father's glory , and 
the everlafting joy of all the generations of 
the faithful. O what delight ! What fulnefs 
of joy ! when the rays of the Deity, always 
too bright and confounding for mortal eyes 

to 



FULNESS of JOY. 331 



to behold, (hall be foftened to the believer's 
fight? ia the perlon of Jefus ChrifL When 
bejhaU appear we Jha/I be like him? for we 
Jhall fee him as he is. Haften, my foul, to 
that fulnefs of joy ! In heaven where thy 
treafure is, fecured by the promife and power 
of God, O let thy defires, thy afFe&ions al- 
ways be ! O thou Spirit of love, and power, 
and joy ! quicken my defires, crown my re- 
flations, and prepare me for a happy eter- 
nity, Amen* 



FINIS. 






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MSmlff-fOWMss 



019 583 532 9 






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